


Something Like That

by Kazymyr



Series: heartbeats [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Bantering, Bromance, Camp Half-Blood, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, Love/Hate, M/M, Nico is a grouch, Slow Build, Will might be a firefly, a dash of angst, teenage boys being teenage boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-03-31 22:37:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3995656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kazymyr/pseuds/Kazymyr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following the events of the Blood of Olympus. Nico is beginning to learn what it feels like to make friends when the world isn't ending, and Will is discovering that he doesn't have to live in the shadow of Apollo and his lost brethren. </p><p>Or...</p><p>In which Nico is un-grouching, Percy and Jason's bromance is out of control, and children of the sun god should never shadow travel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**WILL**

 

Unsurprisingly, Nico slept through the entirety of his stay in the infirmary. At first Will was careful to move around the room quietly and he tried his best to be gentle when changing the bandages on the sleeping boy’s arm (which, also unsurprisingly, the son of Hades neglected to tell him about). However Will quickly learned that there was nothing that could wake him. The other camper was in an almost coma-like state and Will doubted that even another rising from Gaea would wake him.  
  
“ _I’m fine_ ,” Will mimicked under his breath, rewrapping the sleeping boy’s arm. “ _I’ll do what I need to_.”  
  
Will knew he would have received some snarky remark if the boy had been awake, but luckily he stayed blissfully asleep.  
  
When Nico had first fallen asleep in the infirmary he had sent Will into a bit of a panic. Not because he was sleeping but because there were moments when he wasn’t quite solid. Once when Will had tried to move him, his hand passed completely through the other demigod. The first time it happened the son of Apollo almost threw up. He frantically tried to think of what he could do, which was not something he was used to because normally his instincts were spot on. Will rarely panicked, but for some reason the thought of Nico fading into shadows seemed to put a mental block around the reasonable portion of his brain. When Will reached out to Nico again he was able to get a grip on the other boy’s hand and a strange sense of relief passed over him. Will wasn’t quite sure what to do with the feeling, and he wasn’t quite sure what to do with Nico di Angelo in general.  
  
The son of Hades was aggravating and stubborn, and even though Will was right 93% of the time, Nico still argued just to be annoying. Will liked him though. He always had. He remembered how envious he had been when he had first arrived at camp. Nico had gotten to ride in his father’s chariot (or flaming bus, whatever) and Will had never been more envious of someone. Will had never been given that privilege, in fact, he could count the amount of quality conversations Apollo and he had on one hand. Nico had turned into more than just an enviable figure though. He was the bravest, most irritating person Will had ever met, but he figured there had to be a good amount of hard-headedness to be that brave. He had always been brooding and dark, but the dark had never scared Will. As far as he was concerned there was never any sort of darkness that didn’t light up with a little bit of sunshine.

All the same, Will continued to check on Nico with more frequency than any of his other patients. Sometimes he couldn’t tell if it was for Nico or himself, but every time he came in he’d place a hand on the sleeping boy just to make sure he was still real and he was still there.

 

* * *

 

 

Will opened the door to Nico’s room toward the evening and was surprised to see the other camper awake and upright, sitting at the edge of his bed. The other boy blinked at him sleepily, rubbing away the last bits of drowsiness from his eyes and asked Will in a sleep-thick voice how long he had been asleep.  
  
“About five days,” Will replied  
  
Nico’s head snapped up and any trace of exhaustion was erased from his face as it turned instantaneously to irritation. “Five days?! I was only supposed to be here for three! Why didn’t you wake me up?”  
  
“Well,” Will said calmly. “I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this… but you sleep like the dead.”  
  
The smaller boy didn’t look particularly amused. “You’re not funny.”

“I think so,” Will smiled to himself. “But seriously, you’re impossible to wake up. I’ve been manhandling your arm for days and you didn’t even try to maim me.”  
  
“My arm?” Nico questioned, lifting his shirtsleeve and looking at the bandage. “I forgot…”  
  
“You forgot,” Will deadpanned. “You forgot that you had a werewolf scratch on your arm? I’m pretty sure those are particularly painful. Is that the kind of encounter you forget? Because I’m not really sure how to compete with that.”  
  
“I had bigger things to deal with.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Will waved his hand dismissively. “Uniting the Greek and Roman armies, saving the world, _whatever_.”  
  
“Don’t forget about saving you a few times.”  
  
“Eh, like I said. They wouldn’t have caught me.”  
  
Nico glared at Will, but the son of Apollo just stared back, matching the persistent gaze. Nico di Angelo didn’t scare him, and he certainly wasn’t going to win against him. “Are you done?”  
  
“With what? Saving your life or irritating you? Because I’m definitely not done with the second one.”  
  
Nico slid off the bed, stretching his arms out and testing his sleep-logged muscles. Will had to admit, he looked better. If he had it his way he would’ve made Nico stay for the rest of the week, but the son of Hades had fulfilled his promise. His eyes weren’t as sunk and his skin was beginning to take on some of its natural olive hue. He looked better than Will had seen him look in a long time, and the feeling made Will’s stomach do an uncomfortable flip.  
  
“All kidding and irritating aside though,” Will said stepping forward. “You could use some more rest.”  
  
“I’m not staying here, Solace.”  
  
“I’m not saying you have to. You kept your promise, and I’ll keep mine. Just take it easy. No Underworld-y stuff, no crazy training, just try to relax. There are a lot of ways you can help out here that don’t involve getting yourself killed.”  
  
Nico stared at the taller boy before looking down at his arm where Will hadn’t realized he had grabbed him. Will knew he didn’t like to be touched but he also knew that there was a lot of healing power in it. More than that, Will couldn’t help himself. He _had_ to touch people; it was really the only thing he was good for. For a moment the son of Apollo was ready for the other boy to yank his arm back and walk out without another word, but he was relieved when Nico simply nodded and said: “Okay. I’ll try.”  
  
Will couldn’t help but smile. He tried to keep it as muted as possible, but he couldn’t stop himself or the words that followed. “And I meant what I said. You could come say hi once and a while. We’re really busy in here and sometimes I forget to eat.”  
  
Nico looked at Will blankly, as if he was struggling to understand. “Why do you keep acting like we’re friends or something like that?”  
  
Will shrugged his shoulders. “Because why not? We could be. Maybe we have a few things in common.”

The dark-haired boy narrowed his eyes and turned to leave, only stopping to mutter a quiet “ _Thank you_ ” in what Will assumed was an old habit of manners. Will tried to respond, but Nico was already gone, moving out of the room like a ghost who had never been there at all.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw shucks. You guys are amazing. Thank you so much for all the encouragement. I hope you continue to enjoy :) Hoping to get the next chapter up tomorrow, as this one is a little bit of a filler ;P

**NICO**

 

Nico’s skin was vibrating. He felt like a battery that someone had stuck into a socket and supercharged. It started in the spot that Will had touched and then spread throughout the rest of his body like an electric ripple. He had felt something similar the first time Will had held his hand, but this was different. Originally Nico had withdrawn because the sudden spark had caught him off guard, but just moments before in the infirmary, he found himself almost hoping for it. Perhaps he had subconsciously gotten used to Will’s hands on him while he slept, or maybe it was something else entirely. The feeling left a strange taste in his mouth, but it also left a residual sort of strength.

Nico hadn’t had the intention to sleep through his entire stay in the infirmary, but it was hard for him to complain because his dreams had been quiet and the few times he remembered being partially conscious, Will had always been nearby. It certainly hadn’t felt like five days, but now that he was on his feet, feeling stronger and well, he could see how it was clear that he had needed it.

The evening was quiet. Nico looked out over the cabins, lit by the setting sun, and everything seemed brighter than he remembered. The camp was buzzing but it looked so much emptier now that the Romans were gone. Nico felt a sense of longing at the thought of Hazel and Reyna being so far but there was comfort in knowing that there would always be another home waiting for him.

Coach Hedge ran by with his arms full of, what Nico assumed, were toys for Chuck and he called out for Nico to come visit now that he was awake. Nico promised he would be by soon and moved further into the camp, scanning for any sign of Chiron, but found Jason first.  
  
“Hey,” the son of Zeus called, jogging up to meet him. “I was just coming to check on you. We were starting to think we would never see you on your own two feet again. How are you feeling?”

“Better,” Nico admitted, looking at his hands. “Solid. Less like I might fade into the shadows at any minute.”

“Good. Piper and I stopped by to see you a couple times, but you were out pretty cold. Will looked like he was taking good care of you though, so we tried not to worry too much.”

Nico’s face ran hot and the feeling made him switch from embarrassed to angry and back again fairly rapidly. Instead of replying he just shrugged and Jason laughed like he understood. He wondered briefly if maybe Percy had told Jason about what Nico had admitted to him before disappearing into the infirmary.  
  
“Come on,” Jason said, jerking his head towards the dining pavilion. “It’s almost time for dinner and I convinced Chiron that there’s no sense in us sitting alone. He’s letting the Big Three sit together and I think the gods are too busy to notice for now.”

Nico’s stomach gave an appreciative rumble. “That sounds amazing. I could seriously eat an entire pegasus right now.”

 

* * *

 

 

Nico assumed it might be weird to see Percy again, but he was pleasantly surprised to find how easy it was to sit with him and Jason. He thought maybe there would be some residual awkwardness but there was a strange lightness in his chest. He felt like he had gotten rid of a rock that had been sitting on his chest and weighing him down. Percy never mentioned Nico’s confession and he knew that someday it would be a memory they could look back and laugh at, but for now the moment was still too close. He was glad that their friendship hadn’t been destroyed and in fact, it was better than ever now that Nico wasn’t harboring a secret.

Over the next few days Nico found himself settling into Camp Half-Blood easier than he could have ever imagined, but there was still a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that it was only a matter of time before his welcome wore off. After the second Titan War it had been the same. People would say hello, thank him for helping out, and then as time went on, the welcoming looks turned to fear and he began feeling more and more isolated.

He tried to shake the feeling. _This time will be different_ , he thought. _I’m different and the camp is different. It will be alright._

He had a lot more purpose this time. Chiron had spoken to him about proper burial rights and even creating a city-like structure similar to New Rome. Nico wasn’t an architect but the centaur valued the Greek perspective on the city and realistically, no one aside from Jason had known it better. It felt strange for him to be involved in the camp after all his years of avoiding it, and Nico felt even stranger beginning to redecorate the Hades cabin in an effort to make it feel more like home.

He supposed that was what Camp Half-Blood was now: home.

Ever since he had lost Bianca, Nico had always thought of himself as a drifter. He didn’t have a home. He didn’t _need_ a home. No one really wanted him anyway. He couldn’t blame them. It wasn’t as if Nico had been altogether friendly and even still… he wasn’t quite sure what some people were seeing in him. Particularly the head counselor of cabin seven.

Nico hadn’t really seen Will since he left the infirmary. He had gotten a glance at him at breakfast one morning but Nico immediately lowered his eyes and when he finally looked up, Will was gone. He noticed that it wasn’t uncommon for Will not to be at lunch or dinner and when he was, Nico did his best to be scarce. He had no idea how to act around Will because the blonde had been so adamant about their being friends, and there was something very different about the way Nico felt about him.

Which he assumed was why the thought of Octavian still haunted him.

He had meant to talk to Will about Octavian when he was in the infirmary, but since he spent all that time unconscious, he figured he had missed his opportunity. All Nico could see was the look on Will’s face when he had told him they couldn’t stop Octavian. The other camper had every right to be disgusted by him and Nico figured Will’s hospitality had only gone so far because he was a healer. Will wanted to help people and that was why he had an interest in the son of Hades. He was the ultimate test for any kind of healer because his wounds ran even deeper on an internal level. Still, Nico wanted to know that Will didn’t hate him. He _needed_ to know because there was something spinning and winding around in his chest that wouldn’t go away.

Several times Nico had stopped and kicked the ground when he found himself standing in front of the infirmary and today was no different. He stared at the building and then shoved his hands in his pockets. He hated this. He hated not knowing what to feel or what he was doing with himself. He knew how to be angry and he knew how to be miserable but this… _unsure_ feeling in his gut did nothing but make him confused and a little bit afraid. He just couldn’t get past the look on Will’s face. That look of sheer helplessness. That _how could you?_ look…  
  
Nico let out a frustrated huff and spun around; deciding that he had faced his fears enough in the last few months and it was just _Will Solace_. The son of Apollo’s opinion of him didn’t matter. None of it mattered.

Except for the fact that it did.


	3. Chapter Three

**WILL**

 

Will had seen Nico walking outside the infirmary at least three or four times. Out of every one of those three or four times, Will either slipped, tripped, or dropped whatever he was carrying. It was just that Nico appeared out of nowhere and then whenever Will looked back, he would be gone again. The first two times he had thought that maybe he was overworking himself and they were just hallucinations, but after the third time he figured it couldn’t be a coincidence.

“The Ghost King was outside again,” Clarisse said, walking by Will with an armful of bandages.

Will tried his best to not dart his head over to the nearest window, afraid he might have another embarrassing mishap. Instead he focused on washing his hands and looked over at Clarisse. “Don’t call him that. He’s struggling to adapt as it is.”

“You think Death Boy is better?”

“You’re right. I can do better. Gloom and Doom? No, too cliché. How about Bones? Too much of a _Star Trek_ reference? Kind of fitting when you think about it. Ya know… _Doctor_ McCoy.”

Clarisse rolled her eyes and dropped the bandages into a sterilized bin, organizing them accordingly. “You’re a nerd.”

Will didn’t argue. He really liked Clarisse, and it was (usually) good to have her around. She had been a huge help after the war and no work was too hard for her. He knew she could be a real bull to others but she never fought with Will and he attributed most of it to his time spent helping Chris Rodriguez. She was certainly a child of Ares, but her heart was good. “You should go talk to him,” she said finally.

“To Death Boy?”

Clarisse groaned. “Obviously. He clearly wants to talk to you.”

“Really? I assumed there would be more, ya know, talking and a lot less _not_ talking. Because that’s what we’re doing; not talking.”

“And you think he just happens to be strolling in circles around the infirmary all the time because he likes the scenery?”

“I don’t know,” Will shrugged. “He could be. It’s a nice building. I practically live here.”

“Which brings me to my next point,” Clarisse said, scrunching up her nose in disgust. “When was the last time you showered? You reek, dude. Go back to your cabin.”

Will wanted to throw something at her, but decided he would rather not have a black eye for the rest of the summer. She did have a point, and while he doubted the fact that he actually _smelled_ , a shower and a nap sounded amazing. He conceded to Clarisse, telling her he’d see her later before checking with Kayla and making sure she was set for the evening shift. Most everyone was stable and Will didn’t feel too guilty giving himself the night off.

He wanted to talk to Nico, but as he walked back to his cabin he decided that showers were one of life’s most precious gifts and for the sake of himself, his cabin mates, and his patients, he wasn’t going to deny himself the simple pleasure any longer.

 

* * *

 

 

Unfortunately the nap was not as successful as the shower. Will tried lying in bed but his mind kept wandering and no matter how hard he tried to turn it off, nothing changed. In an effort to try to distract himself, he opted to walk to the lake and catch the last few rays of the sunset. The thought ultimately reminded him of his father and it certainly didn’t help settle his mind.

As he moved towards the lake he found that he wasn’t the only one with the same idea. Nico was sitting at the end of one of the docks and Will was tempted to either turn around and avoid him entirely, or walk up and push him off the edge. He thought it through for several moments and he weighed the pros and cons of seeing Nico’s soaked, shocked face versus the fact that Will would most likely get himself drowned by a gaggle of skeletons. And while Will wasn’t afraid of the dark, skeletons were definitely not on his list of favorite things.

Instead, he stood at the opposite end of the dock, picked up a rock and sent it sailing just inches past the other boy’s head and into the water.

Nico jumped to his feet, spinning around with eyes filled with dark fire. His hands were spread out and for a moment Will thought he was actually going to summon some skeletons. He looked angry and whether or not Will felt the same, he was not going to play this game. He just stared back at Nico, trying to match his intensity. Luckily for Will, the fire in Nico’s eyes changed as he identified him and instead of anger, it turned to annoyance.

“What is your problem?”

“ _My_ problem?” Will countered, walking towards where the other boy sat. “I think you mean _your_ problem. It was just a rock. You don’t need to summon the entire Underworld to handle it, Death Boy.”

“I’m still a little edgy-“

“You’re _always_ edgy.”

“And I _told_ you not to call me that.”

“And _I_ told you to come visit, but here you are. Not visiting me, or talking to me, and completely avoiding me.”

“I-“ Nico gaped at him. “I’m not avoiding you. You’re avoiding me.”

“What? How is that even possible? I’ve been _working._ And what- I specifically _told_ you to come visit. _Why_ would I avoid you?”

“Why _wouldn’t_ you?”

“Are you serious right now?” Will said, beginning to feel flustered. “What planet are you on? Are we doing _this_ again? How could I possibly-“

“Octavian!” Nico blurted out. Will’s mouth slammed shut.  
  
Will had barely even thought of Octavian. He figured he would eventually but he just hadn’t had the time yet. Naturally he had been disappointed that a descendant of Apollo could have gone so wrong, and Will didn’t like thinking about Octavian’s claim that Apollo had spoken to him personally. Apollo still hadn’t spoken to Will since the Olympians had returned and Will assumed it was because Zeus had banished him off somewhere. Will and his father didn’t have the best relationship, but he couldn’t see why Apollo would have favored Octavian over Will and why he hadn't at least tried to reach out. The thought made him feel a little sick, but he couldn’t see how any of that would be Nico’s fault, nor did he really want to talk about it. “Um… what?”

“Octavian,” Nico repeated, clenching his fists and staring at the ground. “He was a legacy of Apollo. You came to me for help and I let him die.”

“Oh,” Will breathed out, glad to know he wasn’t thinking out loud. “Yeah, that’s not-… I mean, I hadn’t even thought about it.”

Nico didn’t look impressed. “Really? Because you should have seen the look on your face. You thought I was a monster.”

“Did I _say_ that?”

“You didn’t have to.”

“Well stop making up opinions for me,” Will said curtly, reaching out for the son of Hades’ hands, only to have them immediately yanked away. Will gave him a stern look and grabbed them again, holding them tightly despite the dangerous look Nico was giving him. “Listen up. Octavian was a bad apple, and I’m not proud to come from the same tree. You’re right. I came to you for help, but I didn’t think we were going to sit down and have tea and cookies with him. Something had to be done. I’m only a healer. It’s in my nature to try to save everyone, but you were right. Some deaths can’t be prevented, and in Octavian’s case… I’m not even sure if it should have been.”

Will couldn’t tell what was going through the other camper’s head, but he was relieved to feel that a lot of the darkness he had felt the first time he had touched the other’s hand was gone. Slowly Nico’s posture began to loosen and he let out a breath. Will let his hands slip away as their eyes finally met. They were much softer than before and although Will could still see fire in them, most of the anger was gone.

“I wasn’t avoiding you,” Nico said. “I mean, maybe a little, but not right now. I wasn’t avoiding anyone. I just…  I’m not used to people with flesh and blood and I kinda thought maybe it would be good for me to just be alone so I could clear my head… or something like that.”

Will looked out across the water where the sky was painted in red and gold and again his mind wandered to his father. There were so many questions he wanted answered and Will couldn’t fault Nico for seeking some silence. Will had wanted the same thing, to just be alone and let the world quiet itself for a few moments.

“Or something like that,” Will repeated, understanding the feeling.

Instead of turning away to put himself in isolation elsewhere, Will took a seat on the edge of the dock, motioning for Nico to sit beside him. He knew the company would be better for the both of them.

The smaller boy looked at him, as if contemplating whether or not it was some sort of trick. He toyed with the silver, skull ring on his finger and eventually sat down, a good two feet away from Will. The son of Apollo watched him carefully, letting out a little huff and slid closer until their shoulders just barely brushed.  

They sat in silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Will liked having him near, and Nico didn’t move away. Moments passed and eventually Nico looked over at Will and said: “You have no concept of personal space.”

“Yeah, I know,” Will agreed, hearing no malice in the other’s voice. “I sort of can’t help it. It’s really all I’m good at. You’ll get used to it though.”

“You’re sure about that?”

“Yeah. I hear it’s good for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Will is basically just a blonde bottle of sass...
> 
> Thank you all so much for the kudos and comments! You have eased this writer's fears (for now). I always love to hear what you guys think :)


	4. Chapter Four

**NICO**

 

Nico still wasn’t overly fond of being touched, but Will Solace was almost impossible to keep away. It wasn’t as if Nico saw a whole lot more of him around camp, as Will was still almost entirely wrapped up in the infirmary, but every time Nico saw him running across the camp he made a point to wave and even try to smile. It felt good to have the air between them cleared. Nico wasn’t in the business of making enemies anymore.

On the rare occasion Will wasn’t in the infirmary, he spent a good amount of time with Nico in the training arena (and once the climbing wall, which ended up with Will treating several second-degree lava burns on Nico because, according to Will, he had “ _no concept of self-preservation”_ ). Will worked hard and Nico had to admit that while he wasn’t as good as Michael had been, he was still a pretty decent shot as an archer. His sword skills were lacking, but he was a quick learner and never minded when Nico stepped in to try and help his technique. Nico avoided touching him at all costs at first, but as time wore on it stopped mattering so much. He’d move Will’s shoulders into place or change the position of his arm because there really was no better way. Nico figured it was just another ploy by Will to get him used to physical interaction, but he tried not to let on.

He liked Will, and not just because his touch was a strange mixture of electrifying and calming, or because butterflies still flittered around his stomach every time he saw him smile. Will’s wit was quick and his humor sarcastic. His attitude seemed completely contrary to his laid-back demeanor but Nico began to like the combination. Will worked hard, learned quickly, and made Nico laugh out loud more than he liked to admit. It was easy to be around Will and it was hard to not to want to stay near him. He was magnetic. Everyone liked Will, and Nico kept that in the back of his head when he felt himself getting too close to those blue eyes.

On more than one occasion when Will was passing by him at breakfast, he would give Nico’s shoulder a quick squeeze before moving on to herd the rest of his cabin. One morning Will passed by, giving his customary shoulder squeeze, while Nico was already sitting at his table and Percy’s eyes almost popped out of his head, much to Jason’s and Nico’s enjoyment.

“What in Olympus was that? Do you know he just touched you? Aren’t you going to smite him with French zombies or something?”

“I’ve already tried, but they’re not interested. No brains left to eat.”

“I heard that!” Will called from several tables over, feigning a glare and pointing two fingers at his eyes before directing them at Nico, as if to say: “ _I’m watching you.”_

Nico smirked into his plate of food and took a moment to enjoy the look of shock and confusion on Percy’s face.

“Do you see this?” the sea god’s son said to Jason. “We’ve traveled all over the world with this guy and still can’t get a hug, but Will Solace walks in, deafens some dogs, and boom. Instant privileges.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jason said easily. “I got a hug.”

“What?!” Percy cried, looking as if someone had just massacred a bunch of starfish. “Where was I?!”

“Gods only know, but I assume it included Annabeth stopping you from causing some kind of chaos and destruction.”

“You probably have a valid case, but that’s not the point. I want a hug! Can I get a hug?”  
  
“Try it and I’ll break your nose,” Nico said.

“Hey,” Percy said, his smile gone. “Don’t joke. My nose has been through enough.”

Jason started laughing and Nico couldn’t help it. He found himself chuckling into his food, his shoulder still warm from where Will touched him, and just felt happy.

 

* * *

 

 

A few days later Nico found himself sitting with the rest of the campers around the campfire. Jason, Piper, Percy, Annabeth, and he were huddled into a group and Nico was content to listen and talk with the couples. It didn’t even occur to him to feel like the fifth wheel and he figured it was simply because he had gotten to know each one of them in their own way. These were all his personal friends even when they weren’t all grouped together. Even Annabeth and he were getting along. Ever since his confession to Percy she had taken a liking to Nico, constantly asking his opinion and wanting him to always be included. Nico found himself doing something he never thought he would: genuinely liking Annabeth Chase.

Out of the corner of his eye Nico could see the Stoll brothers chucking bags of marshmallows at campers for the evening s’mores. He figured they still wouldn’t dare to try and hit him but he continued to watch just close enough to avoid being hit. He hadn’t seen Will all night, and even though he had mentioned having to go through the supplies in the infirmary after their last training session, it was hard not to still look for him. It felt like a bit of a habit now.

Piper and Percy were talking about their school plans for the year and Nico could tell that while Percy seemed excited at the thought of being in a school with Annabeth, he was quickly coming to the realization that there might be some drawbacks.

“She’s going to make me actually study.”

“Oh you can bet on it, Seaweed Brain. Don’t think it’s going to be all fun and games.”

Percy groaned. “It never is! Couldn’t it be? Just for once?”

“What about you, Nico?” Piper asked from over Percy. “Are you going to school?”

Nico shook his head. “Well, sort of. Chiron and I talked about it and decided that it would be best for me to stay here with the year-rounders and do school with him. I’m not really keen on the idea of going back and last time I was in school I almost got killed by a manticore. I’m fine to stay and work with the old centaur.”

“That’s great!” Annabeth said. “You can come visit Percy and I.”

“I’m going to go visit Hazel and Reyna too. Chiron is working on a few things with Camp Jupiter so we might get some time in New Rome,” Nico nudged his head toward Piper. “Are you guys thinking about college over there too?”

“I think so,” Piper said, squishing up her nose at Jason. “I guess we haven’t really talked about it.”

“I haven’t even _thought_ about it,” Jason replied. “There’s so much to be done here and I just want to worry about finishing high school first. I can’t imagine college without Percy and Annabeth though. It just wouldn’t be right. ”

Percy threw his hand up and the two of them high-fived without looking.

Nico smiled. From behind him, he could hear several conversations going on and for a brief second he heard someone say: “ _Hey, Angel Face,”_ before falling into the rest of the noise. A moment later, a bag of marshmallows hit him upside the head and the voice said: “Ugh. Fine. Angel _of Death_ Face.”

Nico turned around and Will was walking towards them with a cat-like grin on his face and an armful of marshmallows. When he got close enough he shoved a hand into the son of Hades’ hair, ruffling it up.

“Hiya, Neeks.”

Nico yanked the blonde’s hand out of his hair, ignoring the nickname and did his best to look irritated. “Do you have to be so annoying-“

“Yes.”

“And I thought you were busy.”

“I finished early. Also, Chiron sort of chased me out,” Will shrugged, looking up at the rest of the group. “You guys want some marshmallows to roast?”

“Will Solace, you are the only ray of sunshine I need in my life,” Percy said, making grabby hands at the bags in Will’s hands. “I could battle a Titan for some marshmallows right now.”

Annabeth elbowed the son of Poseidon in the ribs and he gave a good-hearted chuckle before taking two bags of marshmallows from Will. Jason put his hand out for one and Percy just looked at him blankly.

“What? I love you, dude, but I am not sharing.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes and grabbed another bag, handing it to Jason before smiling at Will. “Stay and sit with us, Will. I haven’t gotten a chance to see you much.”

“Yeah,” Piper chimed in, eyeing where Nico had apparently forgotten to let go of Will’s hand. When he realized what she was looking at, Nico dropped it as if Will had suddenly caught fire. The daughter of Aphrodite had a twinkle in her eyes and it didn’t take much to suspect what she was up to. However when Will declined the offer, Nico’s head shot up much faster than he was proud of.

“Why not?”  Nico demanded.

“I have to finish passing out the marshmallows.”

“Well, you can come back, can’t you?”

“I will if you want me to.”

The son of Hades quickly clammed up when he realized “ _I do”_ was on the tip of his tongue. Instead of being honest, Nico sealed his mouth and tried to avoid looking at the smug look on Will’s face.

“Oh come on,” Piper continued. “They’re just marshmallows. No one is going to die from a lack of whipped sugar.”

To which Percy responded: “ _I might’ve_ ” from around a mouthful of the candy. Will opened his mouth the protest again, but Nico reached up and yanked him down by the arm.

It wasn’t his smoothest move. The marshmallows spilled out of Will’s arms and his shoulder bashed into Nico’s, causing the two of them to sit uncomfortably pressed together. It wasn’t Will being close that made it uncomfortable; it was the awkward position of Will’s knee into Nico’s side and his shoulder pressing right against Nico’s own shoulder blade. He looked at the healer, trying to get him to move, but Will refused, and in the end Nico squirmed the two of them into a more comfortable sitting position by pushing Will’s knee to rest on Nico’s thigh and allowing himself to just barely lean into the son of Apollo’s chest with his shoulder so Will could rest his arm against the ground behind them.

Will looked amused and Nico gave him another annoyed look, avoiding everyone else’s faces. He was beginning to regret the decision to have Will sit with them and panic started rising in his chest as he began to realize that everyone was so close and staring at them.

 Fortunately, it only lasted a moment and then Piper started talking again as if nothing had changed.

“We were talking about heading back to school. You ready to go back?”

Will shrugged his shoulders again and it was clear that any sort of awkwardness or panic was only coming from Nico because Will appeared to have no difficulty jumping right in. Nico marveled at how easy it was for the blonde to fall into conversation with everyone. He didn’t sound unsure or out of place like Nico always had, he just responded easily and laughed and listened like he was a part of the group from the beginning. Just a couple weeks ago Nico would have found the trait annoying and a cause for him to hate Will, but now it almost made him a little proud to show that someone like Will could be his friend.

 _Because that’s what we are, right?_ Nico thought. _Friends?_

It didn’t take long until Nico felt warm all over. He felt like he was finding the first bits of sunshine after a long winter. Will smelled like camp, and summertime, and boy, and when the son of Apollo started gesturing with his hands and his arm ended up around Nico’s shoulder, Nico couldn’t even be bothered to shove it off. Instead, he moved closer and let his head fall against Will’s shoulder as his eyes began to feel heavy.

Nico’s conversation with his father played over in his head. He thought about Hazel and Frank and how Nico had always assumed that being a child of Hades meant he would be alone. After Bianca, Nico had given up companionship but Hazel had never been that way. She had never turned away friendship in the way he had, and when Nico appeared to tell her he was her brother, she accepted it easily. Maybe being a child of Pluto was different, or perhaps Nico had simply chosen the harder route. He knew he had more of Hades’ anger, but the even the god himself had proven that sometimes it could be let go.

Nico closed his eyes, listening to Will’s voice and the sound of friends all around them. If his father could do it, Nico could do it. He could let go of the knots in his chest and stay just like this for as long as the world would let him. Will laughed from around him and Nico could feel the calming energy flicker through his spine and for a moment he thought he heard his father’s voice saying: “ _I would like to see you be an exception”_ right before he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy it while it lasts, darlings... 
> 
> :)


	5. Chapter Five

**NICO**

 

Nico’s dreams were happy. He was with his mother and Bianca and they were at one of his favorite sidewalk cafes in Italy. His mother was teaching Bianca to sit like a lady, and Bianca was complaining because Nico didn’t have to. The air was warm, the breeze smelled like good coffee and Nico couldn’t stop grinning at his sister, feeling like he was the luckiest kid in the world.

The dream shifted and he was with Hazel at Camp Jupiter. They were comparing notes on what it was like to grow up in a completely different time and Nico felt relieved to have someone who understood where he was from so clearly.

It changed once again to when he was meeting Apollo with Percy, Thalia, Grover, and Bianca, to hugging Reyna, playing catch with Mrs. O’Leary, saying goodnight to his mother, and then falling asleep with Will and his friends all around him.

It was all so easy and it was all so perfect.

The warmth began to crumble and everything went dark. All his fond memories vanished as if someone had reached into his soul and stolen them. He was surrounded by an oppressive heat and he felt as if someone was sitting on his chest, stopping him from breathing. The few breaths he could manage to gasp felt thick and swollen. His hands grasped for something to hold, but everything in his reach slipped from his fingers like hot, wet flesh. He could hear the sounds of Tartarus as they sat on his shoulders, whispering his deepest fears and keeping him in place. He reached out still and when he managed to grip something, it pulled him in and dragged him under.

Nico jerked awake, hands scrambling and finding himself nowhere near where he had left himself. He blinked several times and it took more than a few moments to recognize his own cabin.

He was still at Camp Half-Blood.

Nico’s heart continued to race, and only as it began to settle did he recall that he couldn’t remember coming back to his own cabin. Idly he wondered if maybe he had shadow traveled in his sleep.

He could only imagine how mad Will would be.

The thought stirred something in the pit of his stomach and he scowled out towards the window where sunlight was streaming in. It was only a dream, but dreams were never just dreams for demigods. There was still something sitting around the edges of his mind and while he assumed he would live with the nightmares of Tartarus for the rest of his life, the thought seemed so much more overwhelming now. He felt crippled. He could still hear the whispers taunting him, telling him he was nothing and he would never belong.

This was what always happened. All Nico could do was feel stupid that he had fallen asleep at the campfire the night before. How could he have thought that he belonged here? How could he assume that anything would be different?

When he eventually moved from his bed, Nico heard something fall and hit the floor. He looked down at his feet and found a thin, leather cord on the ground with nothing more than a strange, glowing, glass bead shaped like a sun hanging off it. Nico vaguely remembered Will wearing something similar on his wrist, and when the son of Hades picked it up, it sent a ripple of energy through his fingertips. He was almost positive that he had seen it the night before. The thought made his stomach turn but he tried not to think much more about it. He felt tricked, like it had been Will’s fault that Nico had thought he could belong. It was probably all just a game to him.

Outside the cabin he could hear the shuffling feet of campers and realized he must have slept dangerously close to breakfast. Nico wrapped the cord around his own wrist and made a note to give it back to Will and just be done with it. He quickly tugged on an orange Camp Half-Blood shirt, before his usual ripped jeans, and made a hurried attempt to ready himself before darting out the door.

 

* * *

 

 

“Are you wearing a Camp Half-Blood shirt?” Percy asked from around a mouthful of French toast as Nico sat down at the table. “And is that Will’s bracelet?”

“Yes, and yes,” Nico replied, annoyed at the thought. “I think it fell off last night. I need to give it back.”

“I saw him at breakfast, but he’s not usually at lunch so I’d guess the infirmary.”  
  
“It’s lunch? Why are you eating French toast?”

“What do you mean? Why are you _not_ eating French toast?”

“Holy Zeus,” Jason interjected, setting his own plate on the table and staring at Nico. “Are you wearing a Camp Half-Blood shirt? And is that Will’s bracelet?”

“I know, right?!”

Nico shot them both a dark look. He didn’t want to hear another word about the son of Apollo.

“Hey. Sorry,” Jason lifted his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m just saying. You look good in orange.”

“Very funny.”

“So, did he give you that or did it fall off when he was dragging your passed out _podex_ back to your cabin?”

“Yeah,” Percy said, gesturing with his fork. “And seriously? Mad congrats to that guy. He’s stronger than he looks.”

“I found it,” Nico snapped, and both Percy and Jason went quiet, giving each other a sideways glance.

“Just asking. I can’t tell if you guys love or hate each other like 90% of the time, but you were cozy last night.”

“Whatever,” Nico said, pushing himself up from the table, unable to keep his irritation in check. It was all a game. Will was just trying to make him look like a fool. “I’m not hungry.”

He turned on his heels and stalked towards the arena, trying to forget all about blue eyes and blonde hair.

 

* * *

 

 

Nico always felt better with a sword in his hand. He had grown accustom to always having it at his side, and when it was back in his hand, everything felt as if it had gained some normalcy. He knew the sight of the Stygian iron made the other demigods nervous (although Will had never said anything) and they kept their distance as he ignored them and moved through the arena, trying to chase away the demons in his ears.

This was what he was used to. The sword in his hands, the nervous glances from the other campers… this was what Camp Half-Blood was. His welcome was beginning to wear thin and soon they would all be talking about him in hushed tones and eyeing him like he was some sort of creep.

Everyone but Will Solace.

The thought boiled in the pit of his stomach. His strikes became more vicious and he tried to shake the feeling that rose in his chest every time he thought about the other boy. Will was making him look like an idiot. Nico couldn’t even talk to Percy or Jason about him without some sort of off-handed joke. He didn’t like being used for people’s amusement and Nico was sure he would hear about falling asleep at the campfire for ages. None of this would have happened without Will. Nico could have been happy hiding in his shadows. He had been fine before. Now everything was so much more complicated.

“Oh my gods, are you wearing a Camp Half-Blood shirt?”

Nico knew it was him before he even looked. His sight went black and he stabbed his sword into the ground, creating a fissure at his own feet. Nico heard the campers scramble out of the arena. When he looked up, the only one left was Will, standing with an indignant look on his face.  
  
“What in Styx was that for?!”

“Do you see how fast they all ran out of here?” Nico snapped. “They’re like scared little kids afraid I’ve come to take them to the Underworld.”

“Well yeah!” Will shouted back, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You just split open _the Earth_! The last time most of them saw that was when hundreds of skeletons followed! Would _you_ hang around if someone did that?!”

Nico said nothing. Will was the absolute last person he wanted to see right now. The blonde marched through the arena, his gaze unrelenting. Nico avoided it by slashing into training dummy.

“So are you going to explain why you’re trying to end the world for _no reason_?”

Nico glared at him, and any other person would have shivered and moved away but Will met him with no sign of fear. Nico di Angelo clearly didn’t scare him, and the thought was even more infuriating. “Why can’t you go running off with everyone else?”

“Because I’m not someone you can scare into running off, Nico. You’re the son of Hades, big deal. I’m not afraid of you.”

Nico laughed humorlessly. “You probably should be.”

“Why? Because you’re scared of yourself? Because, no matter what, you like isolating yourself even when people are trying to care? I mean, stop me when I get it-“

“For the love of the gods, can you not just leave? Everyone else understands! Why are you still here?”

“Because I like you!” Will cried, exasperated. “Why is this so hard for you to understand? You’re the… bravest, most selfless person I know and yet you still walk around like you’re some kind of infectious disease. You’ve saved the world! Twice! You and your dad saved us in Manhattan and then again when you stopped us and the Romans from ripping each other apart-”

“That wasn’t just me! That was Percy-" 

“Don’t,” Will spat, his tone unusually venomous. “Don’t do that. You don’t live in Percy’s, or Jason’s, or whoever’s shadow. I get that you looked up to Percy, but Percy can be idiot. I like the guy and he’s got skills, but if it wasn’t for Annabeth he’d probably be running in circles chasing his tail. You aren’t like him. You don’t need anyone to solve your problems for you. You can handle them yourself and I wish you could get it through your dense skull that you matter and you matter to a lot of people. I don’t know what you’ve been through, and you’ve probably seen things that would make most people go insane, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep pushing everyone out. Just because your father-”

Nico’s blood turned to fire. “You don’t know a _thing_ about my father, Solace.”

“And like you know anything about mine? You think you’re the only demigod with parent issues? We’ve _all_ got them. At least your father listens. He sent help when you needed it and I’ve _seen_ some of the things your dad has done for you. Do you know how many times I’ve seen Apollo? Because I can count them on one hand. Gods only know if I'll ever even see him again because of what he did. He’s not really a father. He’s like this older brother that I can’t count on. On top of that, I'm not even worth his attention. Lee was better than me, Michael was better than me…  _Octavian_ was better than me. Octavian, who wanted mass murder, was more deserving of my father’s attention than I was. Do you have any idea what that feels like? To look at some crazy, whey-faced loser and know that Apollo thinks he has more potential than me?”

Nico’s anger stuttered and the heat that had been running through his veins all morning began to cool. He _didn’t_ know what it felt like. He couldn’t even understand any of it. Octavian had been a poor, diluted version of Will and had none of the things that made him so magnetic. Even now, standing alone and angry in the middle of the arena, Will looked like a reflection of everything good Nico had ever known. He was all the best parts Nico remembered about Apollo, just in a better, more real way. How could Apollo not see that? Will was fierce, selfless, and never once backed down, no matter if it was a legion of Romans or an angry son of Hades. Nico slowly realized that his anger had melted away and he just felt… sorry. Sorry and lucky because at least his father spoke to him and made more than a few gestures of love.

Will sighed and Nico could almost see his anger turn to exhaustion. “I get that you’re mad, but we’re all a little mad at our parents. The point is that you’re better than that. And I’m sorry for everything you’ve had to go through, but that’s not why you matter to me and I wish you would stop treating yourself like you’re damaged goods. We’re all a little broken and we all have our demons but you’re amazing and I- I just… I’m just gonna go. All I wanted was to say hi and see if everything was okay, which… apparently it isn’t, but I’ll leave you alone since that makes you happy, or miserable, or… whatever it is you want.”

Will met Nico’s eyes one last time and the heart Nico didn’t know he had dropped into the pit of his stomach as he saw how much hurt was locked away in them. The son of Apollo shook his head, disappointed, and then turned and left, leaving Nico standing in the arena feeling foolish and alone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops... it broke. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has left kudos and comments, it really means the world.


	6. Chapter Six

**WILL**

 

Will was stuck on auto-pilot. It seemed like everything hurt but he felt nothing at all. Time lost its relevance and a day turned into a week, and camp was coming to an end. He was relieved the infirmary was mostly empty; it gave him purpose but allowed him to be alone for the most part. Everything he did felt mechanical and most of his work was done out of muscle memory. His chest felt heavy and all he wanted to do was to crawl in his cabin and sleep for at least a couple days.

It wasn’t a feeling he was used to, but it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar. 

No one really asked what was wrong. He figured they all sort of knew and maybe they hadn’t heard the words that had been said, but he was sure they’d heard about the argument. Lou Ellen had tried to ask what had happened, but Will couldn’t quite articulate anything. Just thinking about the entire ordeal upset him. He hadn’t meant to unload about his father like he had. It was like spilling out a secret he wasn’t ready to share. He had spent so much time trying to be strong and optimistic for his cabin that he had just lost his temper when Nico had tried to tell Will he didn’t understand. He was tired of defending Apollo. Will was defending someone he didn’t even know, someone who had rarely acknowledged him and preferred a delusional legacy to his own son.

Will stared at his hands in distaste. He had nothing from Apollo. He wasn’t a skilled archer, his creative abilities were mediocre at best, and besides their appearance and a predisposition to healing, Will had really come out empty handed from his father. Lee had always been good-natured and musical. He had been more creative than Will could ever dream and he even managed to be a force on the battlefield. Michael had been the best archer the camp had seen for years, and maybe the best they would ever see. Michael went down fighting and both him and Lee would be remembered for years to come. Apollo had given them his blessing; they had all the best traits from their father and they would be remembered for it. Even Octavian, who tried to bring the end of both camps, had received more personal attention from the man Will was the spitting image of.

Will felt betrayed. Apollo abandoned him and his siblings and when he heard that Apollo had spoken to Octavian, even against the explicit orders from Zeus, Will could no longer bring himself to defend his father. Will had been praying for some sort of guidance for months but all he heard was silence. Now discovering that Zeus had forbidden contact, and yet Apollo still chose Octavian over Will, made him feel small and insignificant. Will felt like he was sharing in the shame and he couldn't help but wonder what would happen to his father. What if Apollo was banished and Will lost the few skills that _had_ been given to him by his father? What if the gods renounced all the children of Apollo in disgrace?

Will clenched his fists, closing his eyes and trying to shake the betrayal off. Hades had sent help for them in Manhattan. He had given Nico a home in the Underworld and even spoke to Nico with relative frequency. Will didn’t know him, but he knew love when he saw it.

Nico himself had all but disappeared from Will’s life. Will couldn’t say that he was being avoided, but Nico had certainly kept his distance. He had seen him at meals (the few times that Will had gone), but it had been a week and Nico had made no effort to talk about what had happened. Will assumed that the son of Hades was content to have him out of the picture. He was probably happier now that Will wasn’t in his way all the time. Will’s stomach churned and the familiar feeling of rejection weighed heavily on him.

Will just couldn’t understand what had gone wrong with Nico. As far as Will was concerned, Nico had seemed _happy_. He had been under the impression that they were actually _friends_ or maybe even the start of something else, but it was clear that Will had misread something along the way. It was just that it had been years since Will had heard Nico laugh and suddenly he was laughing all the time. His eyes were brighter and Will could tell when he was fighting a smile. He made Will feel lightheaded, clumsy, and real, like maybe he didn’t have to pretend to be someone he wasn’t. _Will_ had been happy too, and it had been a long time since he had felt that way.

_But why would he want me?_   Will thought. _I’m nothing. My own father doesn’t want me._

The thought made his chest seize and Will tried to remind himself that the heart was just a muscle. The empty feeling behind his ribs was all just a trick his brain was playing on his cardiovascular system.

A soft knock on the open infirmary door brought Will back into focus and without looking he assumed it would be Lou Ellen, chiding him for skipping dinner again.

“Come on in, Lou,” Will said, trying to keep his voice level and filing that last few medical records onto a shelf. “I’m almost done. Just lost track of time.”

“I’m uh… not Lou Ellen.”

Will’s insides froze and he had the sense to be glad that he felt so hollow because if he hadn’t, he would have done something embarrassing like spin around at the sound of the voice. Instead he looked over his shoulder to find Nico di Angelo standing awkwardly in the doorway, his hands toying with the skull ring on his finger. The useless muscle in Will’s chest ached again and he dropped his head back down to focus on the papers in his hands.

“You weren’t at dinner,” Nico said cautiously and Will did nothing.

“I wasn’t hungry.”

“Yeah, I just… didn’t see you at breakfast or lunch either.”

“It’s been busy.”

“In an empty infirmary?”

Will shoved the files back on to their shelf a little harder than he should have. After a moment he managed to turn around and look at the other demigod. Will hadn’t heard him come in, but now Nico stood a few feet away, eyes darting around the room and landing everywhere but Will. “Do you need something?”

“No. It’s just… everyone is leaving in a couple days and you said you forget to eat-“

“I can take care of myself.”

“I’m not really sure that’s true.”

Will narrowed his eyes. “Why are you here? I did what you asked. I left you alone. I thought that’s what you wanted.”

Nico pursed his lips and Will couldn’t help thinking that this was not Nico di Angelo. This was not the boy Will had spent the summer smiling at, and this was not even the one who had so aggressively pushed him away the week before.  This was someone new and he looked unsure, like he was trying something that didn’t quite fit him right. “No… I just- I mean yes but-“

“Okay. Let me get out of your way then,” Will said, heading towards the door but Nico groaned, his arm darting out and catching Will by the wrist, pulling him back until their eyes met. The touch wasn’t gentle and his eyes were relentless. This was more like the Nico he knew.

“I’m _trying_ to apologize.”

“Well, you’re crashing and burning.”

“You won’t let me finish!”

“You said you wanted to be left alone!”

"But not by you!”

Will blinked. Of all the responses he had ever even conceived of hearing that had not even made the list of possibilities. He was actually quite sure that Nico had _specifically_ asked him to leave. Will tried to respond several times, but every time he opened his mouth nothing came out. Just as he was about to ask what Nico had meant, Cecil came to a screeching halt at the door, almost tumbling over himself.

 “Will,” Cecil heaved, trying to catch his breath. “You- You have to- Lou Ellen. She fell. She’s- she’s breathing, but the- there’s blood. She’s not responding. I didn’t know what to do.”

 A switch flipped on inside Will and everything that had been clouding his head disappeared. He pushed by Nico and ran out the door without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the brief chapter, it sort of just had to happen this way. 
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who commented and said some absolutely incredible things. It really is amazing to hear what you think. You are all amazing.


	7. Chapter Seven

 

**NICO**

 

Nico waited in the infirmary until Argus tried to kick him out. He argued with the security guard but ultimately lost when Chiron agreed and told him it was time to return to his cabin.

Nico wasn’t quite sure what had happened, but Lou Ellen was unconscious when Will, Cecil, and Chiron brought her to the infirmary. Will’s hands and shirt had blood on them (albeit not a lot), but his focus was so intense that Nico was sure he hadn’t noticed. They immediately disappeared into a room, and the door stayed shut unless Cecil was running in or out with supplies. Hours went by and eventually Cecil was told to leave, just like Nico.

Before leaving, Nico asked how Lou Ellen was doing, but Chiron’s face was thoughtful and difficult to read.

“She’s stable,” he said. “But there was some trauma. There shouldn’t be any residual damage, and the ambrosia should do the rest, but the human brain is a very delicate organ. Someone will have to stay and wake her up throughout the night.”

Chiron ushered him out to his cabin, but Nico had no intention of staying out of the infirmary. Will had looked so fragile when Nico had seen him earlier and Nico’s chest felt heavy at the thought of Will being alone. He didn’t understand the feeling or why the way Will felt seemed to matter so much, but Nico had felt sick all week remembering the hurt he had seen on Will’s face and now his own, selfish pride didn’t seem so important.

 _We’re all a little broken_ , Nico thought, replaying the conversation from the arena over and over in his mind. They were all a little damaged, and Nico hadn’t noticed all the cracks and missing pieces Will had been trying to hide.

The son of Hades returned to his cabin, just as he was told, but when he was sure that everyone had left, and the harpies were already out, he took a deep breath and slipped into the shadows.

 

* * *

 

 

The travel was a little disorienting but it felt easy and familiar. Once everything settled into place he reveled in the feeling of travelling with just himself after carrying the Athena Parthenos across the world. He looked down at his hands and the shadowy fade left his fingertips immediately, leaving him feeling confident and strong.

His first priority was Argus. Nico’s eyes darted up around the open room lined with beds but found no sign of the bodyguard. Will had most likely posted him in Lou Ellen’s room to watch her every move. He couldn’t hear anything and for a moment he wondered if Will had left without him noticing, yet he couldn’t imagine Will leaving while there was a patient nearby, especially Lou Ellen.

More importantly, Nico sensed no death. He couldn’t be sure about Lou Ellen’s state, but he knew she was stable for now and that meant Will couldn’t be too upset. The dark-haired boy took a step forward and stopped instantly as he heard a sound from across the room. His eyes darted around until they landed on a mess of blond hair that sat curled up on the floor in the furthest corner of the room.

“Will?” Nico whispered, quietly moving over. The other demigod jumped slightly and his head shot up only to be immediately lowered as he tried to frantically wipe his eyes. Nico’s chest short-circuited. He was accustom to sadness, but this was different. This was _Will_ and it mattered so much more. A protective feeling flooded into his veins and he knelt down in front of him, desperately trying to find Will’s eyes with his own. “Hey, come on. It’s just me. It’s alright.”

“It’s not alright,” Will responded through gritted teeth, and Nico could see the liquid gather in his eyes. “She’s one of my best friends. What if she-… I could never forgive myself.”

“She’s not going to die, Will,” Nico said.

“How would you know!?” Will exclaimed, glaring at Nico until a look of realization spread across his face. “Oh. You would. Wouldn’t you?”

The Ghost King nodded.

Will let out a breath and stared down at his hands. “Why can’t I do something useful like that?”

“Because you give life back. You don’t need to know when it’s being taken away.”

“But I don’t! I can’t give it back! Sometimes I can only delay it and they don’t-“ Will choked, staring at his hands in disgust. “It’s all I can do and I can’t even do it all on my own. She still needs the ambrosia. I mean, she’ll wake up but with what kind of side effects? I just-… they don’t work with bows, they can barely play an instrument, and now they can’t even save my own friend? No wonder Apollo thought Octavian was better than me.”

Something in Nico snapped and without thinking, he reached out and took the other boy’s hands. The touch sent electricity down his spine and Will stiffened and went quiet. Nico could feel the anger that Will had been keeping underneath. There was sorrow and pain and Nico couldn’t believe he had never felt it before. Every time Will had touched him, Nico had been so preoccupied with keeping his own secrets, that he never noticed Will’s.

Nico closed his eyes and gripped Will’s hands gently, trying to pull the darkness out of them, just like Will had done for him so many weeks ago. These were Nico’s burdens to carry, not Will’s. Will was made of light, and these feelings had no business plaguing him.

“There is nothing wrong with your hands,” Nico said. “And there is nothing wrong with you.”

Will stayed frozen, his eyes focusing intently on where Nico was holding him as if he was waiting for Nico to push him away. “What are you doing?”

“Helping.”

“Why?”

“Because,” Nico said, his eyes meeting Will’s as the words tumbled out. “When I think of things that make the world a better place… you’re one of them.”

Will blinked and for a terrible moment Nico thought he had admitted too much. He didn’t really know what he was saying; things were just falling out of his mouth before he could stop them. He tried to explain himself but was cut short when Will suddenly launched himself across Nico’s lap, both arms wrapping around the dark-haired boy’s midsection and his head instantly burying itself into Nico’s chest.

With an instinct Nico didn’t know he had, he wrapped his own arms around the other demigod and held onto him tightly. Shots of energy bounced back and forth through his skin, but Nico didn’t fight against the touch. Will was sunlight and summertime and Nico didn’t want him to have to carry any of the darkness or anger that was Nico’s birthright. He was willing to carry it for the both of them; because he knew he was the only one that could truly let it go.

Nico dropped his face into Will’s hair, holding him tightly and letting the healer stay wrapped up with him as long as he needed.

Moments passed and Will didn’t move for quite some time, but Nico had no intention of pushing him away. He did his best to be comforting, letting his hands be where they needed to, keeping Will close and just listening to him breathe. Eventually Will’s sniffling subsided and when he decided to sit up, Nico only let his arms fall down to Will’s forearms. He needed to touch him. He needed to know Will was okay.

“Sorry,” Will said, wiping his eyes with the heel of his hand. “I know you don’t like being touched.”

“It’s okay,” Nico said truthfully. “It’s not all that bad… and that’s never really stopped you anyway.”

Will gave him a weak laugh and the butterflies in Nico’s stomach that had been pushed aside for days began flittering with hope. “It’s not usually that invasive.”

“I know, but I’m getting used to it.”

“Told you so,” Will said, his head dropping down as he nodded absentmindedly.

Nico tried not to smile, noting that Will couldn’t miss a chance to prove him wrong, even if he was emotionally distraught. Will was a fighter, and perhaps the two of them weren’t all that different. Nico studied him carefully, seeing the lines of exhaustion on Will’s face and the shadows that were drooping under his eyes. Will hadn’t looked so tired since the rise of Gaea earlier in the summer and if Nico didn’t force him, it was clear Will wouldn’t sleep on his own.

“Come on,” Nico said, standing up and hoisting Will with him. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“I can’t,” Will said immediately. “I have to go check on Lou Ellen and Austin-“

“Austin?” Nico questioned. “Your brother Austin?”

“Yeah. He’s watching Lou Ellen.”

“So you have Argus-“

“How’d you know I had Argus in there?”

“Educated guess,” Nico responded quickly. “Anyway. You have Argus and another healer watching her, but you’re still not going to sleep because…?”

Will went quiet. “Austin might need me?”

“You’re ridiculous,” Nico stated. “And you’re going to bed. You’re no help to anyone when you’re like this.”

“Whatever. We can’t go anyway. The harpies are out. I guess I could sleep-” Will paused, as if something had just occurred to him. “How did _you_ get in here?”

Nico smirked and watched as Will lit up, losing his weariness and instantly changing to his medical persona.

“I told you not to do that anymore! It’s dangerous!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Come on. It’ll be fun.”

“The last time I heard that Connor almost broke my leg! I am _not_ going with you.”

 Nico was trying his best not to laugh, but he was glad to have some part of Will back. He took Will’s hand and before the healer could say anything else, Nico pulled him close and slipped both of them into the shadows of the moonlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure why this chapter was so painful but I agonized over a few specific lines for what seemed like forever. Blah. Hopefully it pays off. 
> 
> As always, thank you so much for reading! I've loved hearing what you all think and discussing various headcannons. You can find me around on Tumblr ( kazymyrz.tumblr.com ) as well if you ever have any questions or just want to say hi :)


	8. Chapter Eight

**WILL**

 

Will felt like a firefly gone terribly wrong. His vision was blurred and spotty, and he was also pretty sure he was sparking sunlight. 

Literally.

The first thing he did when they were out of the shadows was run directly into a wall. He could hear little snaps of light bounce around him and every time he thought he could see something, another would pop right in front of his face. Nothing seemed to arrange itself and Will felt like every atom in his body was out of control. He reached out, trying to steady himself, but all he could see were bursts of light every time he tried to move. Finally he heard Nico laughing and a pair of cool, solid hands settled on his triceps.

“Hey. Focus. You’ll be fine in a second,” Nico said, trying not to laugh. “Just try to hold still.”

Will’s vision began to settle, and although he still felt incredibly dizzy, everything starting coming into focus and he could make out the sharp lines of the son of Hades’ face. Will could tell that he was clearly amused and he couldn’t decide if he wanted to punch Nico or kiss him.

The last thought made his stomach churn and everything started to spin again. Will groaned and allowed Nico to move him to sit on the edge of a bed.

“Sorry about that,” Nico said, kneeling in front of Will with no trace of any real apology. “It takes some getting used to. I appreciated the light display though.”

Will wanted to throw up. “I don’t think children of the sun god are supposed to shadow travel.”

Will looked down at his hands, noticing that the veins in his wrists were glowing, pulsing with light as if they had gone into panic-mode. Nico smirked and got up, calling over his shoulder as he moved away. “Did you eat?”

“No but I don’t think I could… possibly ever again.” Will jumped as another spark of light popped right next to his ear and he groaned again, dropping his head into his hands as another wave of nausea washed over him. The room kept shifting and Will tried to focus on the floor, searching for something familiar when he realized that it wasn’t familiar at all. He was not in his own cabin. His head bounced up and he immediately regretted the quick movement as the roomed seemed to tilt again. The walls looked a little familiar and slowly he began to recognize it from when he dropped Nico off after the campfire. Even still, the cabin was different. The other camper had been remodeling. The lighting was a little better and there was a television perched across from the bed Will was sitting on. He looked down at the mattress and without thinking said: “It doesn’t look like a coffin anymore.”

“Yeah. I’ve always hated that thing. I think they got children of Hades confused with vampires when they built this place, but I guess I can’t blame them. Here,” Nico said, tossing a t-shirt to Will. “In case you want to change.”

Will looked down at his own, blood-speckled shirt and frowned. Lou Ellen was in the infirmary and Will wasn’t with her. He had done everything he could, but the feeling of inadequacy still lingered in the back of his mind. The thought ate at him, but he tried to be reasonable. He was exhausted, and he was going to be no use to anyone if he kept pushing himself. Austin and Argus would take care of her and he would be there first thing in the morning.

 _Everything will be fine_ , he thought. _Lou Ellen would never forgive me if she knew I was worrying like this._

Will took a deep breath and tugged his shirt off over his head. Nico made a strange choking noise and quickly scurried back to whatever he was doing, making it hard for Will not to smile. 

“So,” Will asked, pulling the new shirt on and looking at the television. “Does this thing work?”

“Does what work?” Nico responded hesitantly from around the corner of the room.

“The TV.”

“You honestly think I have a broken TV in my cabin?”

“I mean, I don’t know if you use the white noise to talk to the dead or something,” Will said just to be annoying, shifting himself further onto he bed. He settled his back against the wall that the bed was pushed against in an effort to give his body some sort of reference point to stop the room from continuing to move. Will could almost hear Nico roll his eyes, but when he reappeared he was holding a bowl of popcorn and two cans of soda. Will’s nausea disappeared and his mouth immediately started watering.

“You’re annoying,” Nico said bluntly.

“And you have popcorn. Please share.”

“I thought you couldn’t ever eat again.”

“I lied, now shut up and share.”

“The fireworks stopped.”

“Yeah, that’s something new. Give me the popcorn.”

This time, Nico did roll his eyes, but he handed the bowl and soda to Will before clicking on the television and digging out a box of, what appeared to be, movies. Will shoved a handful of popcorn into his mouth, finally aware of how hungry he was and watched the smaller boy filter through disks.

He liked the way Nico moved. It always had purpose, but it was graceful and seamless. It was part of what made him such a good asset in combat, but it also made it difficult for Will to take his eyes off of him. Will liked watching the way Nico’s muscles extended and stretched. He liked the lines they made and how it was something that had to be looked for. Nico wasn’t just the scrawny kid who had landed in the lake with Apollo, he was something different now and whatever it was, it made Will’s heartrate pick up.

It took several seconds before Will realized Nico had caught him staring. The demigod raised an eyebrow and said: “Can I help you with something?”

Will’s cheeks flushed and he shoved another bunch of popcorn into his mouth, trying to buy time. “These are all pretty bad movies. Why would you keep a movie called _Two-Headed Shark Attack_?”

Nico gave him a look as if to say “ _Don’t talk with your mouth full”_ , but Will ignored him. “Because it's terrible. That's the point. My dad sends them to me. It’s kind of whatever he finds floating in the river Styx. You know, broken dreams and all that.”

Will raised his own eyebrow. “I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”

Something about the phrase made Nico smile. He plucked one of the movies out, popping it into a DVD player before climbing up onto the bed with Will, grabbing his own handful of popcorn. “Something my dad and I have in common. I actually got them out of a dumpster from a movie store that closed.”

“I’m not sure that’s better.”

“Shut up and eat your popcorn, Solace.”

Will tossed another handful into his mouth and had the intention of saying “ _As if popcorn could stop me_ ”, but Nico placed a hand over his mouth before he got past the first word. Will smiled and nuzzled his face into the hand, to which Nico gave him another eye roll and dropped his hand to rest on his own thigh. Will swallowed his food and smiled at Nico who was focused on the screen in front of them.

The last week had been a nightmare, and part of him just wanted to pretend that it never happened. Will had grown accustom to having Nico around and his absence had left a massive hole in his life. It felt good to be with him again and even better to have him so close. It made him feel like they were getting somewhere, like maybe they _were_ actually friends, even if Nico still kept him at arm’s length.  

Part of Will felt like he should be ashamed for clinging to Nico like he had earlier in the infirmary, but he just couldn’t help himself. He knew Nico wasn’t fond of being touched, but when he pulled Will closer instead of away, something almost broke inside the son of the Apollo. It wasn’t often that he became overwhelmed and he was used to being the one who healed and calmed others, but Will had needed Nico and he was still grateful to have him near. Will knew it took a lot for Nico to step out of his comfort zone and maybe neither one of them really understood what was happening, but Will was grateful and hopeful that maybe they could figure it out.

They sat in silence and the two of them worked through the bowl of snack food until the edge of Will’s hunger had gone away and the drowsiness he had felt earlier began to set in. Eventually when the weariness became too great, his head dropped onto Nico’s shoulder, and after a moment of hesitation, Nico rested his own head against Will’s, continuing to watch the screen intently.

Will tried not to smile. His fingers inched towards Nico’s hand, but he stopped himself, not wanting to push any more than he already had.

“Nico?”

The other boy hummed an acknowledgement, keeping his eyes locked on the screen in front of him and reaching into the popcorn bowl to pop the last bits in his mouth. Will felt like they had done this a million times before and the thought was comforting. He wondered if they could, if this was something they could do and something they could be.

When Will didn’t respond after a few moments, Nico finally asked: “What?”

“What did you mean when you said you wanted to be left alone, but not by me?”

Nico let out a breath, moving the now empty bowl up onto a cabinet next to the bed, before shifting himself so Will could sit a little more comfortably. He was quiet for a long while, and Will almost thought he was going to ignore the question.

“I don’t know,” Nico said finally. The tone of his voice felt honest, if not a little desperate, as if he was struggling to understand. “I just… hated this last week.”

“Okay,” Will said, nodding his head softly against Nico’s shoulder. If he had been more awake Will might’ve asked more questions, but the answer seemed fair and sleep was settling into his bones, making it difficult to keep his mind in order. “Nico?”

“Hmm?”

“For the record… I hated last week too.”

Nico chuckled quietly, his hand moving toward Will’s until he just barely curled the tips of his fingers around Will’s own. “Go to sleep, Will.”

And for the first time, Will didn’t even bother to argue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will is definitely a firefly. Just sayin'
> 
> Also, if you've never seen 'Two-Headed Shark Attack'... you're missing out. 
> 
> As always, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and comment. You are all incredible.


	9. Chapter Nine

**NICO**

 

Nico felt Will get out of bed almost immediately after it happened. He had been warm and comfortable, but now there was an emptiness next to him. Without thinking too much he almost reached out and pulled Will back, but even in his sleep-bleary state he knew that might be a bit forward and undoubtedly something he would be embarrassed by later. Instead, he just watched silently as the blonde sat at the edge of the bed and slowly woke up, rubbing his eyes and stretching his arms skyward before standing up to let his back crack.

A soft morning haze perched around the edges of Nico’s mind and he watched as Will moved, wondering how he could be so completely surreal and yet made of flesh and blood. Nico felt as if could watch him for hours. Will’s muscles were lean and all his movements were fluid and easy. He peeled his shirt off over his head, and a heat pooled in Nico’s stomach, warming his entire body. The son of Apollo scoured the floor for what Nico assumed was his other shirt, but Nico couldn’t be bothered to care. All that mattered was the way the light outlined the curve of Will’s spine.

It was a new sort of feeling, something he had never really felt towards Percy. This was a _want_ , a _desire_ that lit up when Nico saw Will. His fingers itched, and more than ever he wanted to reach out and touch him. To pull him down and keep him there until Nico was sure he had memorized each line on Will’s body.

Idly he wondered if Will had ever felt the same way about him.

A moment later Will found his shirt and tugged it on. Nico couldn’t help but feel more than a little disappointed, but immediately became irritated with himself for feeling that way. Will was… _Will_. He shouldn’t be feeling this way towards him. They were barely friends and already Nico was searching for new ways to potentially sabotage whatever it was they had.

_But would it be worth it?_ Nico thought, wondering if Will tasted like summer, and sunlight, and boy.

Will had turned his attention to search for his shoes, but stopped when something else caught his eye. He leaned over to a nearby table, and Nico watched as he picked up the bracelet he had accidentally left in the cabin the week before.

Nico stretched out against the bed, reaching his arm out and just brushing the fingertips of the hand Will still had at his side. The taller boy looked over and smiled, moving closer and grasping Nico’s hand before sitting back on the bed to look at the bracelet. “I thought I lost it for good.”

“I found it on the floor last week,” Nico said, voice soft with sleep. “I’ve been meaning to give it back.”

“I lose it all the time,” Will said with a faraway look in his eyes. “But it always seems to find its way back to me.”

“Clever bracelet,” Nico replied, watching as the glow of the bracelet cast a soft, golden sheen across Will’s hand. “How does it do that?”

Will turned the bead over in his fingers. “I don’t really know. It was a gift.”

Nico wanted to ask who it was from, but the look on Will’s face made it clear that it wasn’t something he wanted to talk about. His eyebrows were stitched together and the thoughtful look on his face was almost a little sad. Nico tugged at Will’s hand, urging him to lie back down in a desperate attempt to erase the look on his face. “Hey. It’s cold.”

Will’s face changed and any hint of sadness melted away as he smiled at Nico. He leaned over, placing his face against Nico’s arm and giving his hand a squeeze. “You know, I never pegged you for a morning person, but you’re a lot nicer when you’re half asleep. I like it.”

“Yeah, well no one has had the chance to piss me off yet,” Nico toyed. “And are you saying I’m not nice all the time?”

“Eh, most of the time you’re stubborn and irritating.”

Nico gave him a light shove, but Will laughed and sat up, gently taking Nico’s wrist and winding the leather cord of the bracelet around it.

“Will you hold onto this for me?”

“Sure but I don’t know what good it will do. You said it always finds its way back to you.”

Will nodded, avoiding Nico’s eyes. “That’s kind of the point.”

Nico’s heart stopped and he let out a small _“Oh…”_ before falling silent. He wasn’t exactly sure what it meant, but up until that moment he had never truly wanted to kiss Will Solace. Now the temptation was almost unbearable. Instead, he squeezed Will’s hand, unable to trust his voice and nodded.

Will looked relieved, but still a good bit nervous. He let go of Nico’s hand and leaned to put on his shoes. “I’m going to go check on Lou Ellen. Thanks for letting me crash here.”

“Any time,” Nico said, and he wasn’t all that surprised to find that he meant it. Will sat next to him for a moment more, his head nodding absentmindedly before staring at his hands.

The ease of the morning came to a standstill and both Nico and Will shifted awkwardly as they realized this was not their standard goodbye. Was Nico supposed to ask him to stay? Were they supposed to hug? Nico wasn’t completely sure where they stood because even though his knowledge of friendship was a little outdated and weak, he was fairly confident that whatever this was extended past the usual boundaries.

“So um…” Will said, standing up quickly. “Yeah. I should get going. Last day of camp. I guess I should make sure everything is set. I’ll catch you later though? Maybe?”

Nico paused and then nodded, trying not to smile. “Yeah. I’ll see you at dinner. For sure.”

“Awesome. I’ll see you then. Thanks again, Nico,” Will said, giving a wave and disappearing out the door with surprising speed.

Nico watched him dart by the window, listening until Will’s footsteps faded away. When he was sure Will was completely gone, Nico looked down at the sun-shaped bead that was pulsing like a heartbeat next to his wrist and smiled.

 

* * *

 

 

After Will left, Nico barely slept. His skin was buzzing, and his bed, which was normally fine, suddenly seemed empty and unnecessarily big. He tossed and turned, clinging to what it felt like to wake up in the night and find Will curled up next to him. He had always hated sleeping alone. When he was younger, he had always shared a room with Bianca and the two of them would often crawl into bed with their mother towards the earlier portion of the morning. He liked the feeling of having another heartbeat nearby and now that the space next to him still held the shape of Will, he hadn’t realized how much he had been longing for it.

He had missed being close to someone, and for once, he didn’t feel guilty about letting himself enjoy it.

It wasn’t as if anything had been fixed. His heart still ached when he thought of Bianca and he still missed his mother more than he could even fathom. Enjoying another person didn’t mean leaving them behind, it just meant that it couldn’t hold him back. The world seemed softer, and the distraction, the interest in another person made each one of the memories a little more bearable.

Nico was not meant to be made of memories. He was more than just the sum of broken parts and pieces. His memories may have shaped him, but they did not define him. He thought of Will and the look in his eyes, as if he was struggling to keep his life together, but he was still whole. He was still a person, and that was more than Nico usually felt.

Nico thought of the first time he had stared down at Will, how he hadn’t turned away and instead just stared back because Will had never once seen Nico as anything other than an irritating, worthy equal.

And maybe he was. Maybe they were equals. Maybe Nico was a whole person, even with the cracks and creases.

Eventually he gave up the idea of sleep. He pulled himself from the sheets to get dressed and slowly began to ease through his morning. He left his cabin and paced through the quiet camp, feeling strangely awake and settling on spending some time with Mrs. O’Leary before making his way to breakfast.

Nico was the first one at the table of the Big Three by far. He was all but finished with his breakfast by the time Percy and Jason arrived and neither one of them masked their surprise to find him alert and eating.  
  
“Well, you certainly look like a ray of sunshine today,” Percy said as he took a seat, only to be elbowed in the ribs by Jason, who gave him a pointed look. “What? I can’t say _sunshine_? I feel like that’s a stretch. I get that he’s the sun god’s son but I am _not_ going to call it the ‘big ball of fire in the sky’.”

Nico snorted into his drink, feeling warm and happy. “You guys are idiots.”

“But we’re _your_ idiots.”

“Lucky me.”

“You look better today,” Jason smiled from behind his glasses, ignoring Percy.

“I feel better,” Nico admitted and then after a moment: “I slept really well.”

“That always helps. What are you doing today?”

“I don’t really know,” Nico said. “Lou Ellen is in the infirmary, so I’m going to take Will breakfast-“

“Perfect!” Percy cheered. “Not about Lou Ellen. That’s terrible. But about Will. Will can come too.” He stopped and eyed Nico carefully. “Or not. I mean, he doesn’t have to. I don’t know. I can’t tell with you guys. Do we love Will or hate Will right now?”

Nico rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the heat that rose into his chest when he thought about waking up with Will and how much he had wanted to know if the son of Apollo tasted like sunshine. “What are you talking about?”

“Canoe racing,” Jason said. “But I feel like we should probably talk about that Will thing, first.”

“There is no Will thing.”

“You mean… other than the fact that you’ve spent the last week moping around camp when you two weren’t talking?” Percy asked, immediately being kicked under the table by Jason. Percy turned to him, affronted. “What? It’s true.”

“Would you have some tact?”

“Come on, man. I’m a lot of things but _tactful_ is not one of them. Mr. D has literally almost turned me into a dolphin at least a dozen times because of it.”

“It’s a miracle he’s not dead, actually,” Nico added.

“ _Anyway_ ,” Jason continued. “Will.”

“What about him?”

“I don’t know. Are you guys okay?”

Nico couldn’t help himself. A slow smile crept onto his face, and he nodded. “Yeah. We’re good.”

“All I wanted to know,” Jason replied. “So… canoe races.”

“Right,” Nico said, his smile settling as he tried to shake his thoughts. “Canoe races. What’s up with that?”

“We’re going to race the girls but we can only find three person canoes.”

“You’re joking.”

“Why would I joke about three person canoes?”

“No, about racing the girls.”

“Same question. Why would I joke about that?”

“Because you somehow managed to convince the girls that racing, the son of _Poseidon_ , on _water_ , was a good idea and they _agreed_?”

Percy grumbled from over his fork. “Yeah, yeah. I promised to not to do anything. If I do Piper is going to make Drew do that permanent make-up and clothes too small thing…”

“Also… Annabeth,” Jason said simply, as if that explained everything.

“Yeah. Exactly,” Percy agreed.

Nico laughed at them both, feeling strangely light before nodding his head. “Okay. I’ll ask. When are you guys doing this?”

“Right after lunch,” Jason grinned. “It’s gonna be awesome." 

“Totally awesome.”

“Right, like it always is,” Nico shook his head, smiling and getting up from the table. “Try not to burn the house down while I’m gone, okay?”

“No promises, and even if we do, it doesn’t matter because Percy is like a built-in fire hydrant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, this is a bit late (and a tad weak, sorry guys). I’m also going to apologize in advance as the last few chapters may show up a little later than usual. There are two reasons for this:
> 
> 1) As of tomorrow I will be away on a business trip for a few days (because sometimes people put me in charge of things and I dress-up and pretend I’m an adult), and unfortunately will not have my writing with me.  
> 2) The last few chapters need a little extra love and may take some additional time before I can shape them into something I don’t absolutely detest. As a perk, most of the final chapters will be a smidge longer than some of the earlier ones (hopefully this will help ease the pain). 
> 
> Regardless, we’re on the home stretch and I want to thank everyone for reading along, and especially to everyone who has taken the time to comment and talk with me. This has been an absolutely amazing adventure and you are all incredible :)


	10. Chapter Ten

**WILL**

 

Lou Ellen was still asleep when Will first got into the infirmary. Austin looked tired and worn thin, but said she woke up with no issues during the night and she was easily coherent when he asked her basic questions. Will felt a flood of relief pass over his body and let Austin head back to their cabin to get some rest. As soon as Austin left Will began filtering through Lou Ellen’s charts from the previous night, making sure nothing was out of the ordinary. After several minutes of careful studying, Will was finally able to concur that Lou Ellen was indeed well on her way to a full recovery.

According to Austin’s schedule she could sleep for a little while longer, so he contented himself with the promising information from her charts and tried to relax. Will hoped that she would wake up on her own; if she did it would be another good sign in her recovery process. In the meanwhile, as he waited for her to wake, he finished organizing the last bits of the infirmary, bringing each one of his projects into Lou Ellen’s room with him, so he could be close if she needed him.

The rest of the infirmary was mostly empty and Will attributed that to the end of the summer. Everyone was getting ready to go home.

The thought usually excited him. He loved Camp Half-Blood, and he certainly belonged there better than anywhere else, but he had other friends back home and it was always good to spend time with his mother. She worked so much these days that even when Will was home he still didn’t see much of her. His friends would be glad to see him and he would be happy to see them as well, but going home meant leaving everyone at Camp Half-Blood, particularly Nico, and that left a sense of dread sitting heavy in the pit of his stomach.

Years ago when Nico had first come to camp Will and him had hit it off quite well. It had been easy to be friendly with him because he was so curious and everything seemed new and amazing to him. It all changed when his sister never came back, and after that… Nico disappeared. The next time Will saw him, Nico just stared through him, as if they had never met at all. But now, they had managed to find their way again, and they were… friends? Will tossed the word back and forth in his head, wondering if _friends_ was a safe thing to say. They had to be friends. If they weren’t Nico wouldn’t have come to check on Will after Lou Ellen had gotten hurt last night. He wouldn’t have let Will hold onto him (not like Will gave him much of a choice, but the point was still valid), he wouldn’t have taken Will to his cabin, and he certainly wouldn’t have let Will fall asleep on him in his own bed.

Will’s cheeks heated. He had fallen asleep with Nico and it was nothing like the time Nico had fallen asleep on him at the campfire. This was deliberate and significantly more intimate. Will desperately hoped Nico wasn’t going to have some sort of freak out and avoid Will for the last day and a half of camp. He didn’t want Nico to think that this meant something was different. It didn’t mean anything. It didn’t _have_ to mean anything. They were just friends and Will had needed a shoulder to cry on.

_Or something like that_ , Will thought.

The sound of sheets rustling shook Will out of his thoughts. His head darted up and he could see Lou Ellen shuffling her blankets, her eyes slowly opening and fluttering until she spotted Will. A slow smile spread across her features and Will immediately rolled the stool he was sitting on over to her bedside, taking her hand and grinning.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Will said softly. “How you feeling?”

Lou Ellen groaned but Will could hear a hint of drama in her voice. “Like someone hit me with an onager.”

Will chuckled, glad to hear the sound of her voice.

“I almost killed Austin last night. I don’t know who that guy thinks he is. All I wanted to do was sleep but he wouldn’t stop waking me up.

Will continued his laughter, relieved to see his friend talking and coherent with none of her vibrant personality missing. “Sorry, that was my fault. I told him to. Doctor’s orders.”

“I should’ve known you were to blame,” she grumbled, placing a tender hand to her head. “How am I doing? Is everything okay?”

The healer nodded. “Yeah. You’re doing really well. I think you’ll be fine to go home. The ambrosia is doing most of the work and you were more concussed than anything. I was a little more freaked out than I should have been, I think.”

“Well then, I’m glad you left Austin in charge, because no offense, you looked straight out of the Underworld last time I saw you. Did _you_ get some sleep?”

Will nodded and couldn’t help but blush a little at the recent memory. “Yeah. I guess I needed it more than I thought. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“How could I not be? I’ve got the best doctor around.” Lou Ellen smiled at him and Will squeezed her hand. “Has um… Cecil come by?”

“Not yet,” Will replied, noting the blush that was creeping onto Lou Ellen’s face. “But Chiron had to practically drag him out of here last night. I’m sure he hasn’t slept. I’ll be stunned if he isn’t here as soon as breakfast is over.”

“I feel really bad-“ she started, but Will held up his hand.

“Don’t even. Things happen and it’s not like it happened on purpose, so just stop. You’re not going to focus on anything other than just sitting here and getting better.”

“Oh, and I’m sure you plan on staying here and making sure I do exactly that, don’t you?”

“Well, I mean… until Cecil comes by,” Will smirked. “And then I’ll stand outside and press my ear to the door.”

Lou Ellen batted at his arm and Will laughed, letting go of her hand to defend himself.  “You better be joking, Will Solace. About everything. I don’t need you mothering me. Go outside. You look like you haven’t seen the sun for _weeks_ and that is saying something considering your parentage.”

“Yeah. Right. And miss the opportunity to irritate you all day while you’re trapped in bed? As if.”

The two were interrupted by the sound of a soft knock on the door and when Will turned around he saw Kayla walking through the doorway with a bright look on her face.

“Oh Lou! I’m so glad to see you’re awake!” Kayla rushed over and picked up the hand Will had just dropped, giving it a squeeze. “You look so much better. How are you feeling? Are you hungry? Is Will smothering you?”

Will opened his mouth to protest but Lou Ellen talked right over him. “ _Yes_! To everything. I’ve been awake for five minutes and he’s already unbearable. Can’t you get this guy a hobby other than hanging around sick people all the time?”

“Oh, believe me, I’ve tried but he’s just drawn to-” Kayla stopped suddenly as if she just remembered something. Her posture perked up and she grinned cheekily at Will. “Actually, speaking of which, you have a visitor.”

Will blinked and instinctively looked behind himself, as if looking for another person in the room. “For me?”

Kayla rolled her eyes and stuck a hand on her hip. “Yes, you.”

“Who?”

“Who do you think?”

“I don’t-“

“ _Well_ , he’s not really _my_ type but I can see how small, dark, and mysterious really does it for you,” Kayla winked and Lou Ellen gaped.

“What?! When did you guys start talking again? How did I miss this!? Are you kidding me? I was concussed for like _one_ day!”

“Yeah,” Kayla said, her eyes glinting. “What did we miss, Mr. Didn’t-Come-Back-To-His-Cabin-Last-Night?”

Will’s stomach jerked and he turned bright red as Lou Ellen shrieked _“What?!_ ” He tried to explain that nothing happened but Kayla poked him in the side, her obnoxious, knowing grin ever present. He muttered a quiet _“Oh buzz off_ ” instead and got up, heading out towards the main room, trying to ignore the giggling he left behind.

When he stepped out into the main portion of the infirmary, Nico spotted him immediately. He was standing with one hand tucked into his jeans pocket, but the other was holding something that looked similar to a take-out box from a restaurant. Will was trying his best not to break out into a smile, but he was just so happy to see Nico. This was the best possible sign. Nico wasn’t freaking out.

Will opened his mouth to say hello, but before he could, Nico was already talking.

“You weren’t at breakfast,” he accused, abandoning the pliant persona he had earlier that morning. Will shrugged his shoulders, undeterred.

“Be honest. You’re not surprised.”

“Not even a little,” Nico said, walking towards him and shoving the box against Will’s chest. “Eat.”

Will took the box from his hands and popped it open, immediately becoming engulfed by the scent of sausage and potatoes. The son of Apollo couldn’t help it; he looked up at Nico, glowing. “Did you bring me _breakfast_?”

“No, I just brought you food so you could go feed it to the pegasi,” Nico replied, rolling his eyes. “Yes, I brought you breakfast because if I didn’t you would probably starve to death.”

“Oh, don’t be dramatic,” Will said, taking a bite of sausage. “Seriously though, you have made me the happiest man alive. I could hug you right now.”

Nico didn’t look impressed, but the half-smirk on his lips let Will know he was at least amused. “Try it and I will send you straight to the Underworld.”

“Really? So I can meet your dad?” Will asked with faux excitement. “You think maybe we should wait until the Fall? I might as well meet your step-mom while I’m down there too.”

Nico threw his hands up and turned to walk out but Will laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him back with no resistance. The son of Hades was giving him a playfully dangerous look and simply said: “You’re annoying.”

“I know,” Will grinned, feeling stupid and giddy. “And nothing gives me more pleasure than irritating you.”

“You’re good at it too.”

“Well, you just have so many buttons to push that I can’t help myself.” Will nodded his head toward the box of food in his hands. “Thank you though. I _am_ starving.”

“I figured,” Nico said, growing quiet as his fingers absently toyed with Will’s own, staring at what must have been a particularly interesting spot on Will’s shoulder. “How’s Lou Ellen?”

“She’s going to be fine. Austin said she did great last night and she’s actually awake and talking with Kayla.” Will paused, trying to connect their eyes unsuccessfully. “I overreacted, but I just… it had been a bad week and it was sort of the last straw.”

Nico nodded, looking a little guilty as his eyes still avoided Will’s. “Well, I’m glad she’s going to be okay.”

“Me too,” Will agreed as silence fell over the two of them. He wasn’t sure what was making Nico so nervous but it was hard for him to be too worried because the smaller boy was still keeping his hand just barely latched to Will’s.

“So uh,” Nico broke. “Percy and Jason want to go canoe racing with Annabeth and Piper but they’re a couple people short. You think maybe you wanna help out?”

Will blinked a few times, unsure of what Nico meant. “By being ready to perform CPR? Because I don’t think Percy can drown-”

Nico smacked him in the arm and gave him another look of annoyance. “No. By racing with us.”

“Um, I don’t know if you know this, but I’m not known for being super athletic.”

“That’s a lie. You _are_ athletic, you just have no coordination. You’ll be fine. You’re actually better at it than you give yourself credit for.”

A slow grin spread its way onto Will’s face. “Was that a compliment? I think it was. It sort of sounded like one. Nico di Angelo, I think you just complimented me. I don’t really know what to do with myself right now. Can I get like… a banner, or may something signed-“

“You…” Nico started, his face tinged with red. “Are hands down the most irritating demigod to have, and will _ever_ live.”

Will started laughing and about the time Nico sputtered out _“And it wasn’t a compliment!”_ Cecil appeared in the doorway again. The son of Hermes looked significantly less flustered than he had the night before, but Will could see that he had been right about Cecil being unable to sleep, the bags under his eyes were all too telling. 

“Hey,” Cecil said. “Sorry to interrupt. Can I go see Lou?”

Will gave him a smile and a small nod. “Yeah. She’s awake actually. Awake and as sassy as ever.”

Cecil brightened. “So she’s okay?”

“She’s gonna be fine. Kayla is in there with her. She’s in the same room as last night.”

Cecil rushed by, tossing a quick “ _You’re the best, Will. Hi, Nico”_ over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall. Will turned back to Nico who was staring at him expectantly.

“So?”

“So what?”

Nico huffed. “Are you coming with or not?”

Will paused and then found himself nodding. Nico had never invited him to something before. Will had always invited himself. Even while training Will had just always shown up and sort of forced his way into Nico’s area, at no point had Nico ever _asked_ Will if he wanted to join him.

Nico didn’t smile, but his eyes got a little brighter and he let go of Will’s hand. “Okay. Great. Meet us down by the lake right after lunch? And _promise_ you’ll eat lunch.”

“Eh, who needs it? I have breakfast.”

Nico stared at him pointedly and Will conceded, waving his hand.

“Yeah fine. On the river Styx and whatever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And… we’re back! I have successfully returned to my home coast and am currently very pleased to be sleeping in my own bed (hotel pillows are seriously the worst).
> 
> We are now (sort of) back to our regularly scheduled program. As I mentioned with the last chapter, editing may require a little extra time, but it’s all happening. Thank you all for boosting my spirits while I was away (I loved checking my email to find your lovely comments). Hearing what you think is the best part of writing. You are all magnificent.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**NICO**

 

Nico barely saw Will before Annabeth and Piper snatched him away, immediately shouting: “Bring it on, Big Three!”

And it really just went downhill from there.

Annabeth laid out the ground rules, mapped their course, and then punctuated the end of her speech with a finger pointed at the sons of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.

“And Athena help me, if I see a single wave, wind, or skeleton that is out of place I will personally see to it that you all spend the rest of your lives as guinea pigs.”

Percy muttered something about cardboard, but Nico figured it had to be better than being a plant.

“Also, Will will make you speak in rhyming couplets for the next week and a half,” Piper added. Will threw a pair of thumbs up and accompanied it with a cheesy grin.

Nico wanted to hit him in his pretty, freckled face.

Realistically, Nico should have known that trying to get Percy, Jason, and himself to cooperate in a non-life-threatening situation was a bad idea. It started with arguing over who was going to sit where in the canoe, and ended with the three of them trying to sit in the same spot and dumping themselves into the lake. When Nico surfaced he could see the three others situated nicely in the opposite canoe, laughing and Piper saying: “Oh man, this is going to be easier than I thought.”

Nico was fairly confident she was right.

It wasn’t really much of a contest. As soon as they started the race, the girls and Will sped to an immediate lead. It occurred to Nico that while Percy, Jason, and himself were battling over who should sit where, their competitors had probably talked about what side of the canoe to start rowing on. This would explain why instead of moving forward in the first few seconds, they spent it spinning from side to side and yelling at one another to get it together.

When they were finally under control with their direction, the three dug their paddles into the water and surged forward. The three of them might have had a slight advantage in strength, but unfortunately, no matter how hard they seemed to row, the three other demigods managed to keep their lead. Annabeth’s, Piper’s, and Will’s coordination and teamwork outweighed any minor physical edge Percy, Jason, and Nico had.

Annabeth was doing most of the steering, but Piper and Will easily adapted to her directions as she called out. The three of them worked like a well-oiled machine and briefly Nico wondered if they had spent time practicing. As the Big Three got closer, Percy let out a wolf-whistle and without missing a single row Annabeth flicked her paddle and doused him with water.

Nico was beginning to like Annabeth more and more each day.

Ultimately Annabeth, Piper, and Will sailed to an easy finish with their arms in the air. Their victory, however, was short lived. As soon as they announced their win, Percy summoned a wave and overturned their canoe, toppling them into the water.

Jason looked over at Percy in horror, but the son of Poseidon simply shrugged his shoulders and said: “What? We already lost.”

Nico opened his mouth to say something about not wanting to be someone’s classroom pet for the rest of his life, but before he could get more than the first words out, he had a mouthful of water as their own canoe was flipped and all three of them fell face first into the lake for the second time that day.

Nico came up sputtering and all he could hear was Annabeth squeal as Percy rose up and immediately dragged her back under water.

“Hey!” Jason shouted after them. “Oh come on. Gods only know how long they’re going to be down there now.”

“Oh leave them alone. It’s better than listening to Percy whine about losing. And can’t you like… tornado them out of there or whatever?” Piper asked before looking over at Nico. “You might want watch your back, by the way.”

“Wha-“ Nico started, immediately feeling two strong hands on his shoulders and instinctively kicking away, sending a spray of water right into the face of Will Solace.

“Aw, come on, Piper. I thought we were friends,” Will joked, wiping the water from his face and pushing his hair back to stand on its ends before grinning at Nico. “You gonna be a sore loser, Neeks?”

“I will drown you.”

“You would never catch me.”

“With _skeletons_.”

“Well then _they_ would never catch me.”

“In your sleep, Solace. I will murder you in your sleep.”

Will shook his head with a smile. “Definitely a sore loser.”

Nico kicked up another jet of water at him and Will just had the audacity to laugh at him.

 

* * *

 

 

Annabeth and Percy eventually surfaced, but not until after Jason, Piper, Nico, and Will had already pulled themselves out of the water and sat out on the shoreline to dry themselves off. Nico did his best to not look at Will as his shirt clung to each of the muscles on his torso, but it got even worse when Will decided to take it off, attempting to wring out the water. Jason and Piper (who had her bathing suit underneath) followed suit and feeling awkward and soaked to the bone, Nico did the same. He kept his eyes low, avoiding Will more than anyone, but he jumped when he felt a pair of hands on his arm.

Will was inspecting the scratch Nico had received from Lycaon earlier in the summer. His eyes were focused and his eyebrows knitted together. Nico swallowed hard and felt particularly expose and yet, not uncomfortably so. He _liked_ when Will looked at him and he was actually beginning to truly enjoy the healer’s touch.

Will dropped his hands away and looked up at Nico. “I need to rewrap your arm before dinner.”

Nico shrugged him off, trying to ignore the buzzing sensation on his arm. “It feels fine.”

“Don't start. You would say that even if it didn’t. I’m going to rewrap it. Doctor’s orders.”

“ _Doctor’s orders_ ,” Nico mimicked, continuing to wring out his shirt. “You say that like it should mean something.”

The four of them settled onto the shore and shortly after, Annabeth and Percy appeared, completely dry, with faces bright with smiles. Jason let out a low whistle and Piper laughed, giving him a playful shove. Percy threw his thumbs up and Annabeth slapped his arm.

"Don't go starting rumors, Seaweed Brain."

"What do you mean _start?_ I didn't start it, Jason did! I am neither confirming nor denying any suspicions he may have."

Annabeth didn’t look impressed but Piper was laughing and the sound made it difficult for anyone to hold back a smile. After a moment, Will bumped his shoulder against Nico’s and gestured his head toward the camp.

“I need to get back and wrangle up the troops, but I want to see about your arm.” Nico made a sour face. “And don’t look at me like that.”

Nico stuck out his tongue and Will made a grab at it, but Nico moved away quickly, smirking to himself. Will gave him another shove with his shoulder, more aggressively playful than the first, but his smile was bright before he turned to thank the others for inviting him.

“Any time,” Jason said. “Any friend of Nico’s is a friend of ours.”

Nico groaned. “Really? Did you actually just say that?”

“Hey, it’s the truth.”

“Yeah right. _Friends_. He’s more like a parasite.”

“Oh as if,” Will interjected. “Don’t give me that, Nico di Angelo. If I was a parasite I would be getting some kind of benefit from hanging around you and the only thing you give me is high blood pressure.”

“Not my fault you don’t know when to quit.”

“You would be devastated if I did and you know it.”

“Devastated? Really? That’s the best you can come up with?”

“Crushed. Inconsolable. Crestfallen. Heartbroken. Woeful-“

“ _Woeful_?”

“Yeah. Woeful. Like overcome with sorrow-“

“Are you kidding me? Who still uses that word? What are you? Like 80?”

“Says the guy who is actually _like 80_.”

“That doesn’t count!”

“It absolutely does!”

Nico huffed and stood up, noting everyone else’s amused expressions and trying his best not to let his cheeks turn red. “Come on. Let’s get this over with,” he said to Will before looking at the others. “Thanks for the race. I’ll catch you guys at dinner.”

“Sounds good,” Annabeth said with a smile. “And thanks again, Will. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

Will thanked them again and Nico tugged at the taller boy’s wrist, urging him towards the infirmary. He could feel his face growing warm and he didn’t want to give Jason or Percy the satisfaction of seeing him blush. Will followed without resistance and as they began walking towards the infirmary the blonde reached over and ruffled Nico’s still damp hair. Nico thought about jerking away, just to irritate Will, but Will’s eyes were bright and his smile contagious. Nico’s stomach did a flip and instead he leaned into the touch and just smiled.

 

* * *

 

 

From the moment Will and Nico left the lake, time seemed to move at an alarming pace. The minutes slipped by and as soon as Nico’s arm was wrapped, Will was called away by Kayla to help get their cabin ready for the final campfire ceremony. Nico barely got the chance to say goodbye before Will was gone.

Dinner passed by quickly and Nico was grateful that both Percy and Jason kept their comments about Will to a minimum. They jabbed at him a little, but mostly settled on offhandedly talking about how unfair their loss had been. Ultimately they decided that they wanted a rematch next summer, and they would discuss their game plan _before_ trying to all get in the canoe at once.

When it was time for the campfire, everything was organized more formally than it had been all summer. Nico wasn’t entirely thrilled with the idea of being restricted to individual cabin groups, but any irritation disappeared when he realized he was sitting almost directly across from Will, who had taken to making faces at him every time their eyes met. Nico did his best not to smile, but he knew Will could tell he was amused.

The evening was light, but something was sitting heavy in the pit of his stomach. He desperately didn’t want Will to leave, but the emotion was difficult to come to terms with. He couldn’t remember the last time he had _missed_ someone who had still been alive. This wasn’t the unrequited longing he had felt for Percy. This was a new sort of feeling, a want and desire that felt like if Nico suddenly blurted out that he wanted Will to stay… Will just might. Rejection wasn’t a certainty; it was only a faint insecurity that lingered in the back of Nico’s mind just because that’s who he was. But Will had never rejected Nico, he had only ever tried to bring him closer… to talk with him, laugh with him, to just be near him. He wasn’t trying to change Nico, he was just trying to be his friend.

_And Bianca would have liked him_ , he thought after Will crossed his eyes at him from across the pavilion. _She would have liked him a lot_.

When the campfire dispersed, the harpies were already preparing for their patrol. Nico tried to get a glimpse of Will before being ushered to his cabin, but the flow of campers was difficult to navigate. Nico was getting better at physical interaction, but he quickly realized it was specific to a certain few people and crowds would never be his forte. Eventually a hand landed on his shoulder and he tensed up initially before turning around and meeting a pair of moonlit blue eyes.

“Hey,” Will said. “You’re going to be here tomorrow, right?”

Nico nodded. “Yeah, I’m not leaving. I’m going to stay here for the year, remember?”

“I do, I just wanted to check. I need to get everyone ready to leave tomorrow, but I wanted to be sure I would get a chance to say goodbye.”

“Yeah, I-… I mean, it’s really not that big of a deal, Will,” Nico said, trying to sound aloof and unaffected, like he hadn’t been mooning over the son of Apollo all night. “I’ll see you next year.”

“I know it’s just…” Will trailed off, but there was a look of seriousness that was different from anything Nico had seen before. His eyes were focused intently on Nico’s and there was a hint of sadness behind them that made Nico’s chest hurt. “I don’t know. No one really knows if they’re ever going to make it back, especially demigods, and I have enough regrets about not saying goodbye.”

It hadn’t been was Nico was expecting, but he pursed his lips and nodded, agreeing with a faint “ _Okay_ ”. Will immediately lit back up and he wished Nico a quick “ _Goodnight, Neeks!”_ and squeezed Nico’s shoulder before rushing off with the rest of his cabin. Nico made his way back to his own cabin and when he opened the door he was met with a wave of exhaustion as the day caught up with him.

He fell into his bed and was awake only long enough to realize his sheets still smelled a little like Will.

 

**  
**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are slowly creeping up towards the end. Eeep! I'm hoping the final chapter will be up next week, hopefully a smidge earlier than this one but life is a little crazy right now.
> 
> I have contemplated turning this into a series... like snapshots forward into the future. Would anyone be interested? I may just leave well enough alone, but if you think it might be a good idea, I'd love to hear :)
> 
> Thank you, as always for reading, kudo-ing, and commenting. You guys are incredible!


	12. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, my darlings. I now present to you our final chapter... without further ado.

**NICO**

Dreams were like ghosts. Their edges were soft and they moved with no respect for the living, because ghosts, just like dreams, had no real purpose. Time held no relevance and when Nico looked too close, he could see right through his dreams, just as he could see through ghosts. Normally he felt solid and alive while the rest of the dream moved around him like fog but this… this was different.

He felt more like a spectre moving through a solid world. The feelings were still warm, but his hands were useless and everything he touched passed right through his fingertips.

It was his turn to be the ghost.

He was at Camp Half-Blood, but the spot wasn’t somewhere he had been before. Slowly, the training arena built itself around him and then finer details gradually began to piece themselves together as if he was watching an artist carefully creating their masterpiece. He could hear voices, but everything sounded as if he were underwater. The words were unclear and the sounds unrecognizable, but he knew someone was nearby. His eyes darted around to find where they were coming from but it wasn’t until he began to move forward, watching as more of the dream unveiled itself, that he could begin to find its source.

There were two male figures along the arena’s seating. Their features were muted but Nico continued to move closer until the first was shockingly clear. He blinked, unbelieving and then stumbled back as he recognized the Stygian iron sword at the first one’s side.

For a moment, Nico thought he was looking into some sort of twisted mirror. This boy was older, but he shared Nico’s features. They were more complete, more defined, and permanent, but Nico knew them all. His limbs were longer, and his muscles lean, but Nico shared the scar on his arm, even though this boy’s mark had faded with age. His hair was shorter, his voice was deeper, but there could be no confusion.

The scars, the build, the sword, they were all Nico’s, but the eyes… the eyes were different. They were still dark, they were still guarded, but they weren’t broken. Instead, they were clear and observing the boy next to him as if he were the moon.

Nico turned to follow the older boy’s eyes and instantly there was blonde hair, blue eyes, and a smile that made Nico’s fingers itch even in a dream. It was Will, as if he had always been there, just older, and gorgeous, and perfect. His laugh was musical and his hands were animated, trying to explain something that Nico could only hear in muffled sounds. Nico watched as Will’s leg bounced, and instinctively he wanted to reach out and stop it, to touch him and make him real.

“He’s cute,” someone said clearly from next to Nico, sending ripples through his dream and making him understand why everything had felt so different. “I like him.”

Without looking Nico smiled and said: “I knew you would.”

There was a soft laugh beside him and when he turned, Bianca stood alongside Nico with a big sun hat covering most of her face.

He paused and tried to will her into reality, flicking the brim of her hat. “This is new. It’s not terrible.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment from you,” she smiled, touching the rim and tilting her head so Nico could see more of her face. His heart gave a stutter and any hope he had been clinging to vanished. This wasn’t really Bianca. This was only part of her and the rest was… something else.

“Father said you chose rebirth”

“I did.”

“We shouldn’t be able to talk.”

“It’s just a dream, Nico.”

“Dreams are never just dreams.”

“That’s true,” Bianca agreed with a foreign smirk, her eyes drifting over to Will. “But I think it’s fair to say that most things aren’t ever _just_ anything.”

Nico turned to look back at the two older boys. He could see his older version notice Will’s bouncing leg out of the corner of his eye, watching it move until finally reaching out and placing a hand on the blonde’s knee to steady it. Will’s movements immediately calmed, and without stopping his sentence, he placed his hand over Nico’s to link the two together, looking at him like maybe he was made of stars.

The dream flickered and Nico knew time was short.

“I look different.”

“Well, that’s what happens when you get older.”

“No. I mean, I look… _happy_.”

“Anything is possible, Nico.”

“Then is this what the future looks like?”

Bianca snorted and Nico turned to see her laugh. “This isn’t _A Christmas Carol,_ darling brother. I’m not the ghost of Christmas Future.”

“No,” he agreed, trying to memorize the face that was barely Bianca’s. “Not a ghost at all.”

Bianca grinned but it wasn’t her smile. The corners weren’t right and her lips looked thinner. Her features were still there, but they were slowly fading, morphing into something different. Into _someone_ different.

“I miss you,” he said desperately, feeling the edges of the dream begin to disintegrate.

“I know,” she replied, reaching a solid hand out and resting it on Nico’s cheek. “And that’s okay. You’re going to be fine though, Nico. You’re going to be better than fine. You have a lot of wonderful people around you, and if you let yourself love them, you’ll find something better than Elysium.”

Nico reached up to place his hand over hers, but his fingers passed right through. “Why are you showing me this?”

“Because you need to know that good things will happen to you if you let them,” she said very seriously, placing both hands on his face. “They take time, and they require hard work, but they’re worth it. Just remember that things like these, they’re all choices, and you can choose to fight for happiness, or you can choose to accept misery. You have to fight for them, and sometimes you have to make them happen for yourself. You need to be willing to treat someone else’s heartbeat as your own.”

Nico turned to look back at where Will was sitting, and for a moment he thought he could see his older self looking straight at him, smiling like he knew something Nico didn’t, as if maybe Bianca was right and what Nico was seeing wasn’t too far out of the realm of possibility. He wanted to ask her if he would see her again, but when he turned around, she was gone and he was left staring at the inside of his cabin.

 

* * *

 

Nico took a long while to get out of bed. His head was full, but everything felt calm as he played Bianca’s words over and over in his head. Minutes turned into an hour and he wasn’t entirely sure he would have gotten out of bed at all if it hadn’t been for Percy Jackson pounding on his door, shouting that Annabeth and he were leaving because if Percy’s mother had to wait another moment there was going to be “ _fire, brimstone, and all sorts of end of the world schist_ ”.

To which Annabeth added: “ _And no nosebleed required this time.”_

Nico pulled himself up and quickly dressed, stepping outside the door and being jolted by the overwhelming awake-ness of the camp. Campers were rushing around, dragging their bags and trading goodbyes. Nico thought he caught a glimpse of Will helping one of his siblings with their backpack, but Nico blinked and he was gone in the next moment.

Briefly Nico wondered if maybe he was still dreaming.

Annabeth made Nico promise that he would try to visit at least once. She preemptively invited him for Christmas but Nico explained that Hazel and he had already decided on celebrating the holiday at Camp Jupiter so they could be together. It hadn’t been his idea, but when Hazel had mentioned it, he couldn’t deny that he was looking forward to having some sort of holiday again.

He tentatively hugged Annabeth goodbye, still feeling strange in his own skin, but Annabeth beamed at him and for a moment Nico thought he saw Bianca. Percy swooped in and tried to do the same, but Nico dodged him and the son of Poseidon stared at him with his mouth gaping open, affronted.

“Oh come on! Really? We go like way back! You’ll hug Annabeth and not me? And Jason! You’ve known Jason for like a few months, tops! How is he better than me?”

“You want that list alphabetically or chronologically?”

“Rude, di Angelo. I thought we were cool,” Percy replied with a joking smile before clapping his hand on Nico’s shoulder. “Seriously though. Take care of yourself. Come visit whenever you need anything.”

“I will,” Nico nodded. “Travel safe. Try not to drive Annabeth totally insane.”

“Too late,” Annabeth replied. “I’d already have to be to stick with him for this long.”

Nico walked with them until Jason and Piper came jogging over. The five traded their goodbyes, and once again, Nico was swept into varying degrees of physical contact he hadn’t quite been expecting. Percy was still adamant that he deserved a hug goodbye, and by the end it, Nico continued to resist just to be diligent to his word.

“You’re going to let us know when you’re at Camp Jupiter, right?” Jason asked as they walked toward the edge of camp. “I want to go and visit, but it would be even better if we could see you too.”

Nico agreed, feeling strange making promises, but none of them were things he wouldn’t willingly do on his own.

The four set off over the top of Half-Blood hill and before Nico really had time to realize what had happened, he was alone watching as the camp went from busy and packed, to thin and sparse. He searched for Will, almost expecting him to be nearby, but he found nothing. He turned towards the Apollo cabin, but its brightness was dimmed and the windows looked empty. A sense of dread set heavy onto Nico’s shoulders as it occurred to him that maybe he had missed Will’s departure in all the chaos of the morning.

His head still felt lost in a haze.

His eyes darted around for any sign of the healer, but he came up empty handed until he reached the top of the hill and saw Lou Ellen, Cecil, and Kayla standing at the bottom of the barrier, apparently waiting for someone.

“You looking for something?”

Nico spun around; he couldn’t help it. He turned to find Will walking from the Big House with a pack slung over his shoulder. Nico let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and relief warmed his veins. Will looked like Will. Not the Will Nico had seen in his dreams. This was the real Will, the one whose laugh was now familiar, whose eyes said more than his words, and the one who had proven that Nico wasn’t alone. He wasn’t a dream. He was real and he was right next to Nico, close enough to touch.

The butterflies in his stomach started their flittering and Nico said: “No. Not anymore.”

Will smiled nervously and kicked at the ground, shifting the bag on his shoulder. “So I guess this is goodbye?”

“I guess,” Nico said, feeling the weight of the distance settle abruptly and undeniably before it was even truly there. “I’ll see you in like… nine months though.”

“Right,” Will nodded reluctantly, making it clear that Nico’s answer hadn’t been the one Will had wanted, but Nico wasn’t sure what to say to make him feel better. The taller boy stared at the ground, chewing at the corner of his mouth and shuffling his feet. “That’s just… a really long time, ya know?”

“Yeah,” Nico replied, trying to ignore the longing that crept into his throat. “I know.”

Will’s head bobbed with another nod, still staring at the ground. “Well, I mean- maybe we could…“ Will trailed off, sighing, frustrated and then took a deep breath. “Are you going to New Rome at all?”

“Yeah. Hazel and I are going to spend Christmas there.”

“Well I… I would really like to see Camp Jupiter and… I live in Santa Cruz so…” Nico looked at him blankly, unsure about how the two were related. Will watched him expectantly and then said: “That’s like an hour and a half away from San Francisco.”

“Oh. Well, I mean, you can always go. Just tell the Romans you’re from Camp Half-Blood and you won’t have a problem.”

“Yeah, I just- I have a break from school and…” Will let out a breath, his body slumping as if all his confidence had escaped with the air from his mouth.  “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

Will was looking at him expectantly, as if Nico could say something to make his leaving better, but all the words Nico had were stuck in his throat. He wanted to ask Will to stay, but his head was still foggy from his dreams and the idea of missing someone who was still alive seemed foreign and difficult to understand. He would see Will next summer.

That just seemed particularly close to forever until then.

Will shifted the bag he was carrying and looked at the ground. “Okay well, it was nice to… hang out with you a little this summer.”

Nico nodded, unable to trust his voice.

“So… I’ll see you next year, I guess.” Will looked at Nico sadly and then shook his head, more to himself than Nico before turning and starting down the hill towards where Lou Ellen, Cecil, and Kayla were waiting for him.

Something liquid and hot slithered into Nico’s chest as Will moved away. His heart rate skipped several pulses before trying to collect them all at once. Something was wrong. Even in the hazy portions of his mind he felt like there was something he was missing and something that was meant to be happening, but wasn’t.

_Because you need to know that good things will happen to you if you let them_ , he thought, hearing Bianca’s voice as clearly as if she were right next to him again. _And sometimes you have to make them happen for yourself._

“Will, wait…” Nico stuttered out, trying to quiet the buzzing that filled his ears. The blonde stopped instantly and turned to look at Nico with something in his eyes that looked a little like hope. The son of Hades jogged down to meet him on the hill and tried to explain what he was thinking several times before finally staring at the healer hopelessly and saying: “Look… I’m really bad at this.”

“Yeah,” Will said, his voice still heavy with disappointment as his eyes dropped from Nico’s. “I mean, you’re not the _worst_ , but you are pretty bad.”

“You’re not helping.”

“I never do.”

“I mean, I told you. Living, breathing people aren’t really my strong point.”

“Yeah well, you should probably work on that considering you _are_ a living, breathing-“

Nico huffed. “Are you really going to do this right now?”

“As opposed to later? Like, oh let’s say, I don’t know, _next year_?”

“It’s not that bad!”

“How can you say that? Yes it is!”

“Well then shut up for a second so I can invite you to New Rome!”

Will’s eyes shot up to meet Nico’s holding his eyes for only a moment before looking away again. He said nothing, his posture was stiff and guarded. Nico ducked his head down, trying to catch Will’s gaze with his own and doing his best to sound confident and calm as he repeated himself.

“You should come see Camp Jupiter with me at Christmas.”

Will hesitated. “No, it’s okay. I don’t want to invite myself, and you’re going to be busy with your sister anyway so I can just go on my own another time.”

“Don’t be difficult. I mean, you definitely can but it’s not really inviting yourself if I’m inviting you.”

“Yeah well, I don’t really have a ride either so it’s fine. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“You don’t need a ride. Jules-Albert and I could come and get you. I mean, what’s the point of a chauffeur if I don’t use him every once and a while?”

The taller boy watched him for several moments, eyes flickering over Nico’s face before finally giving a hesitant smile and saying: “You’re serious right now?”

“Do I look like the sort of guy who tells jokes on a regular basis?”

Will chuckled and Nico’s stomach did a flip.

“Okay,” Will nodded with the faintest hint of a smile. “That would be… fun. Yeah. That would work. We’ll um… Iris-message about it?”

“Sure. Or… it doesn’t even have to be about that. You could just say hi. Friendly face and all that.”

Will bit his lip, trying to hide his smile. “Great. Okay. Um...”

Will paused, shuffling for a moment before abruptly sticking out his hand. Nico raised a questioning eyebrow.

“What is that?”

“It’s this thing normal people do. It’s called a handshake.”

“Is that some sort of joke?” Nico asked, studying the unsure look on Will’s face that was masquerading as aloofness. Will dropped his hand, looking a little defensive and Nico was unable to stop the smirk that formed on his face before saying: “You’re an idiot,” and hugging him.

The white noise that had been clouding Nico’s mind all morning quieted the moment he had Will in his grasp. His arms wrapped their way around Will’s torso, clutching at the fabric of his shirt and holding him close. He pressed his face in the spot just below the crook of the healer’s neck and took deep breaths, trying to hold on to every bit of Will he could, trying to keep anything that might help him through the next several months of absence.

To Will’s credit, his reaction was immediate. He wound his arms around Nico, bringing him impossibly close and nuzzled his own face into the side of Nico’s so the dark-haired boy could feel Will’s smile against his skin. Electricity filled his veins and for a moment Nico knew what it might be like if he were made of sunshine.

_This was what she meant_ , Nico thought. _Good things will happen if I don’t shut doors in the face of every opportunity_.

He clutched at Will, holding on to him much longer than he was proud of, and even still when he pulled away, it wasn’t very far. Will’s hands were still clasping his and he looked… _happy_. Nico wasn’t sure he had ever seen Will look quite so radiant and he wasn’t entirely positive that Will wasn’t actually glowing. The feeling made Nico feel a little lightheaded and stupid, but Will’s eyes were bright and he was looking at Nico like he mattered, like there was no place else he would rather be.

_You’ll find something better than Elysium._

They stared at each other for more than an acceptable amount of time, and when the silence turned to awkwardness, they both stepped back, laughing quietly and trying to brush off the feeling. This was outside their usual bantering and pestering, but it wasn’t all together a bad change.

“So…” Will started, rubbing the side of his own arm. “You’re not going to ditch me, right?”

“Not this time. Maybe when we get there though,” Nico replied, only to receive a smack in the arm from Will who at least had the sense to look entertained. Nico smiled. “No. I promise. I’m sure Reyna and Hazel will want to meet you anyway.”

Will tilted his head. “Why would they want to meet me?”

“Well…” Nico fumbled his words, mentally scolding himself. “We’re friends, right?”

Will gave Nico a long, intense look before dropping his eyes to the ground and laughing softly to himself, flicking his gaze back up at Nico with a playful smirk that caused the butterflies in Nico’s stomach to nearly explode. “Yeah. Something like that.”

Nico tried to regain his composure, giving Will a little shove and inwardly telling himself to not do anything stupid before saying: “Oh, shut up. Get out of here. Kayla has probably been waiting for you for like ever.”

Will paused a moment and then grinned at him, quickly launching himself at Nico and wrapping him up in another tight hug. Nico barely had time to react before it was over and he even thought Will might have pressed his lips to his cheek, but the pressure was soft and it was over before Nico could be sure. All the same, he blushed and squeezed Will’s hand before the blonde started moving back towards where his friends were waiting.

“By the way,” Will called, turning around and walking backwards down the hill. “Take care of that bracelet for me. It was a gift from my dad.”

Nico’s eyes dropped to his wrist where the bead at the end of the leather cord was glowing brightly. “He’s not going to smite me, is he?”

“Probably not, but if you start talking in haikus, I had nothing to do with it.”

Nico thought about sending a skeleton after him, but Will just laughed and waved goodbye, meeting up with the rest of his group. They all waved farewell and Nico mimicked the motion, standing at the hill until Will was with the others and completely out of sight.

He stood at the barrier long after Will was gone, but the weight that he had been expecting to settle in his heart never came. He had been prepared to be angry with himself for feeling attached, but instead there was a strange sort of lightness. He felt closer to the world than he ever had before, and Bianca’s words playing over in his head, making him feel sure and alive.

Eventually Nico made his way back to the camp, finding Chiron waiting near the entrance for him. The two fell into step together and when they reached the Big House, the centaur looked over at the edge of the camp with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Well, Mr. di Angelo, the world still stands for a little longer.”

Nico nodded. “We’ll see how long it lasts.”

“You and I both know that it is only temporary.”

“Yes,” Nico agreed. “But I guess it’s worth fighting for again.”

A slow smile spread onto Chiron’s face, but Nico’s eyes were still locked on the direction he had last seen Will. Minutes passed and the two said nothing until at last Chiron turned to Nico and said: “I am glad you have decided to stay with us. Camp Half-Blood will always need you. Do you think this will ever be home?”

Nico paused, and then smiled, looked down at the bead that was still glowing at the edge of his wrist, and thinking that maybe all these years he had been wrong. That maybe home was a person, and not a place. He looked up at the centaur, who was watching him with an amused look. Nico nodded.  “Yeah. Something like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. What an adventure. This started as just a minor work to distract myself while I edited through other, larger projects, but it spiraled into something so much more. I cannot thank you all enough for every single comment and kudo. It's been a blast to talk to you all.
> 
> As you may have noticed... this is now part one of "heartbeats". I'm hoping to continue on with this with various oneshots, and a couple other chaptered sections. I can't speak to how quickly they will come through, but I promise... they will.
> 
> I'll be around on [Tumblr](http://kazymyrz.tumblr.com/), posting nonsense, and probably snippets of what is to come :)
> 
> Once again, thank you all. You are truly incredible.


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